TRANSPORT

Aircraft (Contaminated Air)

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking in relation to contaminated air events on commercial aircraft.

Karen Buck: The House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology report dated November 2000 (paragraph 4.41) found concerns about contaminated air events to be unsubstantiated. Nevertheless, we have requested an evidence review of documentation submitted by BALPA on this matter by the independent Committee on Toxicity; and this is in hand.

Hard Shoulder Running

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 10 January 2006, Official Report, column 495W, what the timetable for the decision-making process on the introduction of hard shoulder running is; and what the schedule is for rolling out the programme.

Stephen Ladyman: There is little I can add to my previous answer.
	Controlled use of the hard shoulder during peak periods of traffic congestion is due to be implemented on the M42 in the West Midlands by March 2007 as part of the Highways Agency's Active Traffic Management pilot. In order to establish fully the effectiveness of these measures, the project will be monitored over a three-year period. Initial conclusions from operation of the scheme will be reviewed in 2008, but in the meantime it would be premature to develop a programme for the wider use of further hard shoulder running.

M3

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the peak flow of traffic at the southern roundabout of junction 6 on the M3.

Stephen Ladyman: A traffic count was carried out at junction 6 of the M3 on 27 September 2005. The results of the peak period vehicle count was as follows:
	
		
			  Peak 
			  8 am to 9 am 5 am to 6 pm 
		
		
			 M3 southbound off slip 1,600 1,440 
			 M3 southbound on slip 530 1,210 
			 M3 northbound off slip 1,680 550 
			 M3 northbound on slip 1,400 1,420 
			 Total 5,210 4,620 
		
	
	The survey was undertaken as part of a study to investigate and identify possible improvements in relation to congestion and safety issues at M3 junction 6.

Night-flight Restrictions

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total cost was of conducting the stage (a) one and (b) two consultation on night flight restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports; and if he will make a statement.

Karen Buck: Preparation and publication of the stage one consultation paper cost approximately £12,500 and stage two approximately £11,000. These figures do not include departmental staff costs and overheads and do not include the cost of Civil Aviation Authority staff who prepared the noise contours and other technical data.
	In addition, to increase awareness of the consultation exercise among the local community, advertisements were taken out in local newspapers explaining where the consultation paper could be obtained. This cost approximately £6,500 (stage one) and £4,000 (stage two).

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Child Protection

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what checks are carried out on workers subcontracted to carry out work on school premises, including cleaners and maintenance workers.

Ruth Kelly: My statement, and the accompanying report, of 19 January set out clearly the Government's analysis of, and response to, issues concerning child protection and List 99, together with the action we are currently taking.
	The Safeguarding Children: Safer Recruitment and Selection in Education Settings guidance issued in June 2005 states that:
	"Local authorities, schools, and Further Education institutions should ensure that the terms of any contract they let that requires the contractor to employ staff to work with, or provide services for, children for whom the LA, school or FE institution is responsible also requires the contractor to adopt and implement the measures described in this guidance. They should also monitor the contractor's compliance."
	Among other things the measures described include pre appointment checks of List 99 and CRB disclosures—copy at www.teachernet.gov.uk/childprotection

Child Protection

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether her Department has given permission for an individual whose name appears on (a) the sex offenders register, (b) List 99 and (c) the Protection of Children Act List to work in (i) the provision of child care in all settings from birth to entry to school and (ii) the provision of youth services in each of the last four years.

Ruth Kelly: The Department does not give permission for people to work in specific settings. Employment decisions are a matter for individual employers. Any individual who appears on List 99 or the POCA List (other than provisionally) on the grounds of unsuitability to work with children is barred from working in a "regulated position" within the meaning of section 36 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 which includes, for example, a position whose normal duties include caring for, training, supervising or being in sole charge of children.

Child Protection

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people on the register of sex offenders have been permitted to work in schools and have subsequently committed a sexual offence.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 19 January 2006
	My statement and accompanying report explain the work under way to establish how many people on the list of registered sex offenders are currently employed in schools. We are carrying out follow up work with local Multi Agency Protection Panels, which include the police.

Child Protection

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which offences lead to an automatic ban from working in schools.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what duty is placed on local authorities to report to her Department incidents of individuals with a record of sex offending working with children.

Ruth Kelly: My statement, and the accompanying report, of 19 January set out clearly the Government's analysis of, and response to, issues concerning child protection and List 99, together with the action we are currently taking.

Criminal Records Bureau

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions her Department has had with the Home Office about making Criminal Records Bureau searches more effective in respect of school staff.

Ruth Kelly: The Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) searches several different databases before issuing a disclosure. We are not aware of any instances where the CRB has failed to perform a fully effective search of its databases. My Department is involved in discussions with the Home Office about further improving the information flows for the purpose of establishing the new vetting and barring scheme arising from Sir Michael Bichard's report.

Home Tutors

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the Government have a list of all home tutors working in England.

Ruth Kelly: The Government do not maintain a list of all home tutors working in England.

Home Tutors

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether her Department plans to review the regulation of home tutors within the education system; and if she will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: Individuals working as self-employed home tutors are not able to independently obtain a Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure as the application must be signed by a person who is entitled to ask an exempted question in relation to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.
	The Department strongly advises parents to check the background of home tutors by requesting references and checking a tutor's registration with the relevant General Teaching Council. Parents are also advised to make appropriate arrangements for a child who is receiving home tuition, for example having an adult present.
	The Department is fully aware that parents have limited access to information. The new scheme to be implemented as part of the Bichard Inquiry recommendations is giving consideration to how parents can access information on people they wish to employ as home tutors.

List 99

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills by whom the case of Keith Hudson was referred to her Department for a List 99 determination.

Ruth Kelly: The case of Keith Hudson was referred by More House School, Farnham, Surrey.

List 99

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills to which Ministers power to decide List 99 determinations has been devolved since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: It is Departmental policy not to identify anyone below the Secretary of State.

List 99

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many cases heard by the Care Standards Tribunal in each year since it was established relate to List 99.

Ruth Kelly: The number of cases heard by the Care Standards Tribunal in each year since it was established that relate to List 99 are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2002 2 
			 2003 3 
			 2004 4 
			 2005 3

List 99

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people included on List 99 have been given permission to teach in an establishment which does not admit (a) male pupils and (b) female pupils.

Ruth Kelly: It is not possible to provide this information in the format requested.

List 99

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions have been held between her Department and the Home Office on List 99 in the past 12 months; and whether discussions were initiated by her Department.

Ruth Kelly: My Department has an ongoing dialogue with both the Home Office and the Criminal Records Bureau, to improve safeguarding. Recently this dialogue, along with discussions between the CRB and others of its stakeholders, has led to improvements including: an interim Police Local Cross Checking (i-PLX) system pending implementation of the full system; revised guidance; consolidation of CRB's two websites into one; and an electronic application route. Other discussions have focused on improving the information flows for the purpose of establishing the new vetting and barring scheme arising from Sir Michael Bichard's report.

List 99

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which offences require her to determine whether a person should be included on List 99.

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what action she has taken to ensure that schools (a) employing and (b) considering employing people who are on (i) List 99 and (ii) the Sex Offenders Register are made aware of their status;
	(2)  what criteria she uses when deciding whether to give someone on List 99 permission to work with children.

Ruth Kelly: My statement, and the accompanying report, of 19 January set out clearly the Government's analysis of, and response to, issues concerning child protection and List 99, together with the action we are currently taking.

List 99

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what schools have employed people on List 99 in the last five years.

Ruth Kelly: There are 210 people on List 99 with restrictions, so they are able to teach children provided they observe the terms of their restriction. Schools will be aware of those restricted as a result of their List 99 checks.

List 99

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on what date the case of Paul Reeve was referred to her Department for a List 99 determination; and on what date it was decided.

Ruth Kelly: The case of Paul Reeve was referred to this Department on 23 October 2003 and determined on 5 May 2005.

List 99

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills by whom the case of Paul Reeve was referred to her Department for a List 99 determination.

Ruth Kelly: Norfolk Constabulary referred the case of Paul Reeve to this Department on 23 October 2003.

List 99

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which official (a) advised and (b) signed the letter in relation to the decision on the List 99 determination in the case of Paul Reeve.

Ruth Kelly: This decision, as with all such cases, was a decision taken in the name of the Secretary of State. The Department does not disclose the names of officials who advise the Secretary of State or who sign letters to individuals on her behalf.

List 99

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the individuals and organisations consulted in helping her reach a decision in the case of the Paul Reeve List 99 determination.

Ruth Kelly: The organisations consulted in reaching a decision were:
	National Identification Service, New Scotland Yard
	Norfolk Constabulary
	Norfolk County Council
	The Department does not release the names of individuals who supply information or evidence.

List 99

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the (a) head teacher and (b) governing body of the Hewett School in Norwich knew that Paul Reeve (i) had received a caution for accessing a paedophile website and (ii) was on the Sex Offenders Register before his appointment.

Ruth Kelly: We understand that the head teacher of Hewett School in Norwich knew that Paul Reeve had received a caution in respect of an offence under section 1 of the Protection of Children Act 1978 and was on the Sex Offenders Register before his appointment. We do not know whether the governing body was aware of these circumstances.

List 99

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on what date Paul Reeve was interviewed at her Department in connection with the decision of his List 99 determination and who conducted the interview.

Ruth Kelly: Mr. Reeve was interviewed on 25 January 2005 by Departmental officials and on 18 February by a consultant forensic psychiatrist. The identity of officials and the doctor conducting the interview in these cases is not disclosed by the Department.

Postgraduate Research

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what are the 10 subject areas which received the most funding for postgraduate research in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department provides funds to the Research Councils to support postgraduate training in the UK. Figures are shown for each Research Council as follows. The cost of producing figures providing a breakdown of individual subject areas would incur disproportionate costs.
	
		Research Council spend on postgraduate training (£ million, non-indexed)
		
			 Research Council 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 
		
		
			 Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)(1) — 15.4 26.5 27.7 30.5 
			 Biotechnology and Biological Research Council (BBSRC) 21.9 25.2 27.7 28.0 29.9 
			 Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC)(2) — — 0.5 0.5 0.5 
			 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 72.3 83.8 87.3 94.8 119.8 
			 Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) 22.1 22.8 22.2 23.1 28.3 
			 Medical Research Council (MRC)(3) 38.4 44.8 45.0 52.2 50.4 
			 Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) 13.7 15.4 15.8 17.6 19.1 
			 Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) 6.9 7.5 8.4 9.0 9.4 
		
	
	(1) AHRC became a Research Council on 1 April 2005. The figures presented are from the predecessor body AHRB (which received its funding from the UK Funding Councils not OST). Figures are not available for 2001/01.
	(2) CCLRC does not directly fund any PhD or Masters students. CCLRC does fund training for postgraduates through Research Network, facility development grants and CCLRC facility access provision (figures are an approximation). Figures are not available for 2001/02 or 2000/01.
	(3) This figure includes all MRC personal career awards (spend on Masters and Doctoral studentships, clinical and non-clinical fellowships, research readerships and professorships plus other funds for postgraduate training e.g. Roberts skills training).

Sex Offenders

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people on the list of registered sex offenders have been employed in schools in each year since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 12 January 2006
	My statement and accompanying report explain the work under way to establish how many people on the list of registered sex offenders are currently employed in schools. We are carrying out follow up work with local Multi-Agency Protection Panels, which include the police.

Sex Offenders

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people on the register of sexual offenders have been allowed to work in schools under each successive Secretary of State since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: My statement and accompanying report explain the work under way to establish how many people on the list of registered sex offenders are currently employed in schools. We are carrying out follow-up work with local Multi-Agency Protection Panels, which include the police.

Sex Offenders

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people who (a) are working for and (b) have worked for her Department in the Leeds Metropolitan area in the last 10 years (i) are on and (ii) have been on the sex offenders register.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people have been employed in schools on a (a) temporary, (b) permanent and (c) contracted basis in Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency who are, or have at any time in the past, been on the Sex Offenders Register in each year since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: My statement and the accompanying report explain the work under way to establish how many people on the list of registered sex offenders are currently employed in schools in England and Wales.
	It is not the Government's policy to reveal publicly information that may lead to the identification and whereabouts of any individual on the Sex Offenders Register. Identifying individuals in this way does not enhance child protection.

Sex Offenders

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list people working in schools in Chipping Barnet who are on the Sex Offenders Register, broken down by school.

Ruth Kelly: My statement and the accompanying report explain the work under way to establish how many people on the list of registered sex offenders are currently employed in schools in England and Wales. We are carrying out follow-up work with local Multi Agency Protection Panels, which include the police.

Subcontractors (Checks)

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what checks are carried out on workers sub-contracted to carry out work on school premises in Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency.

Ruth Kelly: We do not collect information about the precise arrangements for checking sub-contractors in Westmorland and Lonsdale.
	Safeguarding Children: Safer Recruitment and Selection in Education Settings guidance issued in June 2005 states that:
	"Local authorities, schools, and further education institutions should ensure that the terms of any contract they let that requires the contractor to employ staff to work with, or provide services for, children for whom the LA, school or FE institution is responsible also requires the contractor to adopt and implement the measures described in this guidance. They should also monitor the contractor's compliance."
	Among other things the measures described include pre-appointment checks of List 99 and CRB disclosures—copy at www.teachernet.gov.uk/childprotection

Teaching Staff (Checks)

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what background checks (a) community schools, (b) voluntary-aided schools, (c) foundation schools, (d) city technology colleges and (e) academies are (i) legally required and (ii) recommended to make when recruiting teaching staff.

Ruth Kelly: My statement, and the accompanying report, of 19 January set out clearly the Government's analysis of, and response to, issues concerning child protection and List 99, together with the action we are currently taking.
	My Department's guidance on safer recruitment, published in June 2005, aims to assist all schools, further education institutions and local education authorities to review and, where appropriate, modify their practice and procedures to strengthen safeguards for children, by helping to deter and prevent abuse.

William Gibson

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the (a) head teacher and (b) governing body of Hebburn Comprehensive School on Tyneside knew that before his appointment William Gibson had a conviction for indecently assaulting a girl of 15 years of age and a conviction for fraud, forgery and theft.

Ruth Kelly: We understand that the head teacher at St. Joseph's school in Hebburn was not aware of Mr. Gibson's convictions when he started work as a supply teacher, but that a subsequent Criminal Records Bureau check provided information about all his convictions, which led to Mr. Gibson leaving the school. We do not know whether the governing body was aware of Mr. Gibson's convictions before his appointment.

William Gibson

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which (a) Minister and (b) official (i) advised and (ii) signed the letter in relation to the decision on the List 99 determination in the case of William Gibson.

Ruth Kelly: This decision, as with all such cases, was a decision taken in the name of the Secretary of State. In such cases, the Department does not disclose the identity of any Minister involved or the names of officials who advise the Secretary of State or who sign letters to individuals on her behalf.

WALES

Audible Fire Alarms

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of the premises occupied by his Department is fitted with audible fire alarms.

Nick Ainger: All rooms/areas occupied by the Wales Office are fitted with audible fire alarms.

Council Tax Revaluation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects the next council tax revaluation in Wales will take place.

Nick Ainger: The timing of council tax revaluation's in Wales is a matter for the National Assembly to determine, subject to the requirements of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

Council Tax Revaluation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether (a) aerial and (b) satellite photography was used as part of the council tax revaluation in Wales.

Nick Ainger: Neither aerial nor satellite photography were used by the Valuation Office Agency in conducting the revaluation exercise in Wales.

Departmental Assets

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the items valued at over £100 that have been reported as stolen from Welsh Office buildings in the past 12 months.

Nick Ainger: The Wales Office have had no items stolen in the past 12 months.

Departmental Expenditure

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on bottled water in 2004–05.

Nick Ainger: In financial year 2004–05, the Wales Office spent £35.19 on bottled water for meetings or receptions.

EU Funding

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the agreement at the European Council on 17 December 2005 on the EU financial perspective 2007–13 on the economic regeneration of the South East Welsh Valleys.

Nick Ainger: As part of the agreement reached by member states on the EU budget for 2007–13, the West Wales and the Valleys region will remain eligible for full Objective One funding (re-branded "Convergence" for the period 2007–13). It is expected that West Wales and the Valleys will receive funding similar in size to the current Objective One programme.
	The South East Welsh Valleys therefore stand to gain significantly from this new deal, which will build on the economic regeneration in the area currently under way.
	The Welsh Assembly Government are responsible for distributing the funding to different programmes and monitoring and evaluating them. Work is already well under way to prepare the new round of programmes, which are due to commence in January 2007.

Railways

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on development of passenger train links between Cardiff and Ebbw Vale.

Nick Ainger: My right hon. Friend discusses transport matters in Wales regularly with the Secretary of State for Transport. The Welsh Assembly Government is providing almost £28 million for the Ebbw Valley railway project to accommodate passenger services between Ebbw Vale, Cardiff and Newport. I understand that an hourly service from Ebbw Vale to Cardiff will start in 2007.

Railways

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make representations within Government in support of a direct rail link between London and Shrewsbury.

Nick Ainger: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport is examining the possibility of direct rail passenger services linking Shrewsbury with London, as part of the 2008 timetable changes being delivered with completion of the West Coast Route Modernisation Project. This proposal is dependent upon the business case and is being considered in conjunction with the railway industry, local authorities and other interested bodies.

Railways

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Transport and (b) the Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Economic Development and Transport on the economic and environmental benefits of increasing the railway network in (i) Wales and (ii) Blaenau Gwent.

Nick Ainger: I have regular discussions with both ministerial and Assembly Government colleagues about matters affecting transport in Wales. In June of last year, rail passenger services returned to the Vale of Glamorgan line for the first time in over 40 years.
	The new Arriva Trains Wales timetable launched in December offers further service improvements. Passengers will benefit from an additional 950 services a week across the network; a 28 per cent. increase in Sunday services; more seats on peak-time trains and new two-hourly direct services from Holyhead to Cardiff and from Milford Haven to Manchester.
	The Assembly Government is providing almost £28 million for the Ebbw Valley railway project to accommodate passenger services between Ebbw Vale, Cardiff and Newport. I understand that an hourly service from Ebbw Vale to Cardiff will start in 2007 and that the Newport service is likely to begin in 2009.

Wales Office

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many invoices rendered to the Wales Office have failed to be paid within 30 days.

Nick Ainger: During financial year 2004–05, 98 per cent. of all Wales Office invoices were paid within 30 days, 19 invoices, or 2 per cent. were not paid within the 30 days.
	Full breakdown of statistical information can be found in Wales Office Annual Report 2005 Cm6545. Copies are posted on the Wales Office website: www.walesoffice.gov.uk
	Payment data for current financial year 2005–06 will be available in spring 2006.

Wind Farms

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with (a) the National Assembly for Wales and (b) the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the effects of offshore wind farm construction on porpoises.

Nick Ainger: Offshore wind farms play a vital role in meeting our renewable energy targets and tackling the threat of climate change. I therefore have regular discussions with my counterparts at the Assembly and DEFRA about offshore wind and other technologies. Wales is set to continue its role as a centre of excellence in the construction of wind farms.
	I am aware that the Countryside Council for Wales, the Government's statutory advisor on nature conservation and countryside matters, has been working with Offshore Windfarm Developers to ensure that the best option for a high standard of protection to all marine mammals is in place during construction.

TREASURY

Birth Abnormalities

Lembit �pik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) babies and (b) stillborn babies were reported as having birth abnormalities in each year since 1995.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 20 January 2006
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many (a) babies and (b) stillborn babies were reported as having birth abnormalities in each year since 1995. (40793)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for maintaining the National Congenital Anomaly System (NCAS) notifications in England and Wales. These notifications are provided by NHS Trusts on a voluntary basis either directly to ONS on form SD56 or via local congenital anomaly registers that exchange data with ONS.
	The scheme was introduced to monitor short term changes in notification levels. These registers cover only 42 percent of births in England and the number of registers joining the system increases every year. As a result increasing numbers notified are not necessarily an indication of an increased trend in abnormalities.
	Figures for live and stillborn babies with congenital abnormalities that were reported to NCAS from 1995 to 2004 are given in the attached table.
	
		Number of (a) live and (b) stillborn babies with a congenital anomaly notified to the National Congenital Anomaly System, England and Wales 19952004
		
			  Live birth Stillbirth Total(4) 
		
		
			 1995 5,671 171 5,861 
			 1996 5,794 175 5,998 
			 1997 5,771 171 5,966 
			 1998 6,334 204 6,555 
			 1999 7,488 238 7,750 
			 2000 7,820 308 8,152 
			 2001 7,380 315 7,715 
			 2002 6,978 344 7,347 
			 2003 6,624 332 6,983 
			 2004 6,023 322 6,358 
		
	
	(4) Includes cases where information was not available to NCAS on whether the baby was live or still born.

Child Trust Fund

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people eligible for the child trust fund have applied for and taken up the fund in each month since the scheme was introduced.

Dawn Primarolo: Child trust fund statistics are produced quarterly. The latest set were published on 30 November 2005 at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_trust_funds/child-trust-funds.htm. The next set will be published in February 2006.

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Paymaster General will reply to the faxed letter of 6 December 2005 from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire.

Dawn Primarolo: I hope to be in a position to reply to the hon. Member shortly.

Employment (Tamworth)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of Tamworth residents were in (a) the top 10 per cent. and (b) the bottom 10 per cent. of income earners in (i) 1994 and (ii) 2004.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available at constituency level.

Equal Tax Treatment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that there is equal tax treatment for (a) UK-resident building subcontractors and (b) those working in the UK who are resident in other EU countries.

Dawn Primarolo: Any subcontractor working in the construction industry in the United Kingdom, whether a resident here or not, needs to register under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS). Without a CIS tax certificate or registration card the subcontractor cannot be paid.
	The United Kingdom charges income tax on the profits of all trades carried on by UK residents whether wholly or partly in the United Kingdom. So that where a subcontractor is resident in the UK the profits of their trade whether carried on in the UK or abroad will be charged to income tax in the UK.
	Where a subcontractor is not resident in the UK but carries on a trade either wholly in the UK or partly in the UK and partly elsewhere, the profits from the trade carried on in the UK will be charged to income tax in the UK. This is subject to any relief provided by a relevant double taxation agreement between the United Kingdom and the country of residence of the subcontractor. Such an agreement will in most cases ensure that just one country has taxing rights over the relevant trade income so avoiding economic double taxation of the income.
	Where a subcontractor is trading in the UK through a non-resident company, that company will be liable to UK corporation tax on all profits that are attributable to its permanent establishment (i.e. a fixed place of business or an agency) in the UK. Again this is subject to any relief from UK tax provided by a relevant double taxation agreement. If the company does not have a permanent establishment in the UK it will not be within the charge to corporation tax.
	For income tax there is therefore under existing UK law equal tax treatment between a UK resident and a resident of another EU member state in respect of the profits of a trade carried on in the United Kingdom and chargeable to tax here.
	For corporation tax the requirement that the non-resident company has a permanent establishment in the UK before it becomes chargeable is not present for UK resident companies. This mirrors the restriction in double taxation agreements through which UK companies get reciprocal relief in other EU states.

National Insurance Contributions

Tim Boswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much has been collected in each of the past five years in employer national insurance contributions for (a) males and (b) females over the state retirement age; and what additional revenue in each category would have been collected if employee contributions were also payable;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the extra revenue from national insurance contributions that will accrue annually on account of the progressive raising of the state retirement age to 65 years for females.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the amount of secondary contributions paid for males and females in work and above state retirement age for the past five years is not available except at a disproportionate cost.
	Similarly, the amount of extra revenue from national insurance contributions that will accrue annually on account of raising the pension age on a phased basis between 2010 and 2020 for females to 65 years is not available except at a disproportionate cost.

Tax Relief

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax relief was received by persons in the top tax bracket in the last year for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the amount of all tax reliefs received by higher rate taxpayers is not available, except at a disproportionate cost.

Thames Gateway Organisation

Bob Spink: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer how many paid directors there are in each branch of the Thames Gateway organisation; and what the total employment cost of each has been to date.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	Until 13 January, the senior staff of the Thames Gateway Directorate comprised one director (grade SCS 1A) and two divisional managers (grade SCSI). A further director has now been appointed on secondment reflecting increasing workload in preparation for the London Olympics. The total administrative costs of the Directorate are expected to be 2,474,000 in the current financial year, which includes the rental of the Thames Gateway office in Docklands.

Unemployment Statistics

Tim Farron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the levels of long-term (a) adult and (b) youth unemployment were in Westmorland and Lonsdale in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 20 January 2006
	As National Statistician, I have asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about unemployment. (44294)
	The Office for National Statistics (OHS) compiles statistics of unemployment for local areas from the annual local area Labour Force Survey following International Labour Organisation definitions.
	However, for the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency sample numbers are insufficient to provide estimates of the levels of long-term adult and youth unemployment.
	ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA). The attached table shows the annual average number of JSA claimants claiming for over 12 months and those aged 18 to 24 claiming for over 12 months, resident in the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency since 1997.
	
		JSA claimants, claiming for over 12 months, resident in the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency
		
			  Long-term (claiming over 12 months)(5) 
			 Annual averages All Youth (aged 18 to 24) 
		
		
			 1997 165 20 
			 1998 90 5 
			 1999 75 5 
			 2000 55 0 
			 2001 20 0 
			 2002 15 5 
			 2003 20 0 
			 2004 15 0 
			 2005 15 0 
		
	
	(5) Computerised claims only.
	Note:
	Data rounded to nearest 5 for disclosure control.
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus administrative system.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what staffing reductions have occurred in the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council funded institutes in each of the last five years; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the reductions on the scientific skills base;
	(2)  what plans he has under the Shared Service Policy to merge Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council funded institutes; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The BBSRC received an increased level of funding from the Science Budget following the 2004 Spending Review. Its initial allocation was 336.186 million in 200506, 371.644 million in 200607 and 381.829 million in 200708. An increased proportion of BBSRC's total budget over this period will support research in Higher Education Institutions. In the period 2000 to 2003 (the latest date statistics are available) the total number of staff employed in Biological Sciences in Higher Education Institutions increased by approximately 500 from 6,900 to 7,400.
	The following table gives details of the net reduction in the number of posts in BBSRC Institutes in each of the past five years.
	
		
			  Net reduction in posts 
		
		
			 200001 0 
			 200102 An increase of 39 posts 
			 200203 84 
			 200304 84 
			 200405 61 
			 Total 190 
		
	
	BBSRC has sought to ensure that past staff reductions do not have a material effect on the overall skills base in the UK. In the case of land based research, BBSRC is in active discussion with relevant Government Departments about the impact of staffing reductions.
	BBSRC has no current plans to merge institutes but is considering the establishment of an Edinburgh BioScience Research Centre (EBRC) which would include researchers from the Roslin Institute and some from the Institute for Animal Health (those currently based in the Edinburgh Neuropathogenisis Unit). The EBRC would also involve closer collaboration with other research organisations in the area.
	A number of BBSRC institutes are reviewing their administrative services to identify efficiency savings, including through the sharing of services between institutes, so as to enable additional funding to go into scientific research.

Herbal Medicines

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will assist small and medium-sized enterprises with the costs of compliance with the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 11 January 2006, Official Report, column 724W to my hon. Friend, the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell).

Natural Environment Research Council

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations the National Environment Research Council made to the Government concerning additional funding for the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in the past two years; what amounts were requested; and whether they were granted.

Barry Gardiner: The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) indicated, during the allocation process following the Spending Review 2004, that providing the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) with a sustainable future was a high priority and that it intended to examine options to achieve this. NERC's original allocation from the Department was 359.4 million and 367.2 million for the financial years 200607 and 200708 respectively. The Department has indicated subsequently that it would be willing to increase NERC's allocation by 2.7 million and 11.5 million in these years so as to support the delivery of its core programmes in the event that the restructuring of CEH goes ahead.

Natural Environment Research Council

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) letters, (b) emails and (c) telephone calls (i) the Government, (ii) the Natural Environment Research Council and (iii) the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology received regarding the proposed closure of sites in the last two years; and how many in each case concerned Monks Wood in Cambridgeshire.

Barry Gardiner: Following the December 2005 announcement by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to consult the public and staff on its proposed changes to the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), the number of communications received by 16 January 2006 is as follows:
	
		
			  (i) Government(6) (ii) NERC (iii) CEH Concerning Monks Wood(7) 
		
		
			 (a) Letters(8) 37 55 0 17 
			 (b) E-mails(8) 29 207 0 43 
			 (c) Telephone calls 8 43 (9)0 0 
		
	
	(6) Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
	(7) Specifically relating, or referring, to Monks Wood.
	(8) Figures may contain duplications as some letters and e-mails have been copied to more than one recipient, and some individuals have written more than one letter or e-mail.
	(9) CEH received 20 calls but these were passed on to NERC and are therefore included in the NERC figure.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Vehicles

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many cars are (a) owned and (b) leased by her Department; what models the cars are; what type of petrol each model requires; and what the fuel efficiency is of each model.

David Lammy: The information is as follows.
	(a) DCMS does not own any cars,
	(b) DCMS lease five cars from the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA). For vehicles provided to Government Departments by the GCDA my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport has asked the Chief Executive of the GCDA to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Free Television Licences

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households in Ribble Valley are in receipt of a free television licence.

James Purnell: TV Licensing, who administer free television licences for people aged 75 or over as agents for the BBC, are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, the number of households with at least one person aged 75 or over claiming the winter fuel payment in the Ribble Valley constituency in 200405 was 6,010, according to Department for Work and Pensions records.

Green Ministers

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what meetings her Department's Green Minister has attended in the last 12 months in an official capacity; and if she will list the meetings at which her Department has been represented in the last 12 months on the delivery of sustainable development across government which have been co-ordinated by the Ministerial Sub-Committee of Green Ministers.

James Purnell: Following the general election in May, the Cabinet Sub-Committee of Green Ministers (ENV(G)) was replaced by the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Sustainable Development in Government (EE(SD)) whose members are departmental Sustainable Development Ministers. It is established practice not to disclose information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees or any activities co-ordinated by them. My right hon. Friend Baroness Morris of Yardley (Estelle Morris) represented the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on ENV(G) committee until May 2005. After that date I was appointed to represent DCMS on EE(SD). I attended an informal breakfast seminar organised by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs last July in that capacity. Since then I have had a bi-lateral meeting in the same capacity with the Minister for Energy and Environment.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Adult Dependency Benefit

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he intends to bring forward legislation to amend the law so that the adult dependency benefit can be claimed by married women.

Stephen Timms: Married women in receipt of state pension are in certain limited cases entitled to an adult dependency increase.
	We have no plans currently to widen the scope of the rules for entitlement.

Allied Steel and Wire

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the oral answer of 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 12, on ASW Sheerness (pension scheme), what the basis is of the estimate of 15,000 pensioners qualifying for assistance under the Financial Assistance Scheme.

Stephen Timms: Based on the limited data we have been able to obtain from affected pension schemes, this is our best estimate of the number of members of eligible schemes likely to be within three years of scheme pension age in May 2004 and have less than 80 per cent. of their core pension rights covered by the scheme.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many prosecutions have been brought by the Child Support Agency under section 14A of the 1991 Act in each year since 31 January 2001; how many convictions have been obtained in relation to those prosecutions; and what the average fine imposed by the courts was for such offences in each year.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 9 January 2006
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many prosecutions have been brought by the Child Support Agency under section 14A of the 1991 Act in each year since 31 January 2001 to date; how many convictions have been obtained in relation to those prosecutions; and what the averaged fine imposed by the courts was for such offences in each year.
	I have provided the relevant information in the attached table.
	I hope you find this response helpful.
	
		Numbers of prosecutions and convictions under Section 14A -- 
		
			 Section 14 Prosecutions 2001 2002 2003 2004 January-31 October 2005 Total 
		
		
			 Prosecutions 0 16 233 196 313 758 
			 Found guilty 0 16 231 195 306 748 
			 Total amount of fines issued 0 4,080 42,735 32,275 70,288 149,378 
			 Conditional discharges 0 5 22 25 28 80 
			 Absolute discharge 0 0 0 1 5 6 
			 Deferred sentence 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Average fine 0 370.91 204.47 192.11 257.47 225.99 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The average fines have been calculated using the total fines imposed divided by the number of convictions (excluding the conditional and absolute discharges).
	2. The maximum fine that can be imposed upon a person found guilty of an offence under Sections 14A(2) and 14A(3) of the Child Support Act 1991 is 1,000.

HM Treasury

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what responsibilities of his Department have been transferred to HM Treasury since 1 May 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was established in June 2001. The Tax Credits Act 2002 transferred to HM Treasury responsibility for policy relating to child benefit and guardian's allowance, with the setting of the levels of those benefits and the rules of entitlement and this transfer took place on 1 April 2003. The Secretary of State's remaining functions relating to child benefit and guardian's allowance were transferred at the same time to the Commissioners of Inland Revenue. Additionally family credit, disability working allowance and certain payments for children in other benefits have been superseded by tax credits, administered by HMRC as a consequence of the Tax Credits Acts of 1999 and 2002.
	The Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) Act 1999 effected the transfer of the Contributions Agency and national insurance contributions policy from what is now the Department for Work and Pensions to the Inland Revenue now HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) from 1 April 1999.

Housing Benefit

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of housing benefit was in each of the past three years for which records are available.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the table.
	
		
		
			  Total housing benefit 
		
		
			 200203 12,672,020,416 
			 200304 12,349,634,512 
			 200405 13,170,618,972 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are for Great Britain.
	2. Final figures for 200405 are not yet available and are subject to change.
	Source:
	Subsidy claims data.

Race Relations

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of staff in his Department have received training on the general and specific duties of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, broken down by (a) ethnicity and (b) grade.

Anne McGuire: All staff are required to undertake training on the provisions of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 awareness is also part of the induction package for all new employees.
	Race relations training has been delivered in a variety of ways throughout the Department, for example through trainer-led events in classrooms, team workshops, roadshows and the DWP Diversity Toolkit which is an e-learning and development tool with modules covering all areas of equality.
	We do not currently have a system to monitor all the training undertaken and we are therefore unable to specify how many and what percentage of staff have received training. We are in the process of developing a new resource management system, due for implementation during 2006. One of the features of the new system will enable us to address our need to monitor and will collect data on training applications, broken down by ethnicity, age, gender, disability and grade.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Department for Rural Development

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will break down the Department for Rural Development's Roads Service Budget for 200607 by main budget heading.

Shaun Woodward: The chief executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 19 January 2006
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a parliamentary question regarding the break down of the Department for Rural Development's Roads Service Budget for 200607 by main budget heading. I have been asked to reply as these issues fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service, an agency within the Department for Regional Development.
	The following table gives the analysis of the Roads Service budget for 200607.
	
		Budget 200607 --  million
		
			  Amount 
		
		
			 Admin 76.0 
			 Other resource 93.9 
			 Capital 107.9 
		
	
	It should be noted however, that these amounts are subject to amendment as a result of the in-year budget monitoring rounds, which form part of the public expenditure process.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Departmental Vehicles

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cars are (a) owned and (b) leased by his Department; what models the cars are; what type of petrol each model requires; and what the fuel efficiency is of each model.

Peter Hain: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) Four owned:
	
		
			 Model Petrol Fuel efficiency mpg 
		
		
			 Ford Mondeo Unleaded 36.4 
			 Vauxhall Vectra Unleaded 37.2 
			 Vauxhall Omega Unleaded 23.2 
			 Vauxhall Combo Van Diesel 53.4 
		
	
	(b) 16 leased:
	
		
			 Model Petrol Fuel efficiency mpg 
		
		
			 6Volvo s.80 Unleaded 30.7 
			 Fiat Punto Unleaded 42.6 
			 Peugeot 307 Unleaded 46.4 
			 Ford Focus Diesel 58.9 
			 Ford Transit Van Diesel 45.6 
			 Renault Kangoo Van Diesel 54.6 
			 Ford Focus Unleaded 35.3 
			 Kia Sedona Unleaded 26.6 
			 Toyota Rav 4 Unleaded 30.4 
			 Ford Mondeo Unleaded 36.4 
			 Peugeot 406 Unleaded 38.6

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Coercive Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government have taken during its G8 and EU presidencies to tackle coercive abortion; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: Our presidencies of the G8 and the EU delivered significant results for development and for increasing assistance for health. We did not focus on tackling coercive abortion. Our policies and work on reproductive health, and our support to organisations such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF), are about promoting choice and challenging coercive abortion. UK officials have raised the issue bilaterally in appropriate circumstances.

Departmental Expenditure

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the annual expenditure on vehicles by (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive agency and (iii) other public body for which he is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each of the English regions and (D) Northern Ireland was in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 200506.

Gareth Thomas: For details of expenditure on Ministerial vehicles provided to the Department by the Government Car and Despatch Agency I refer the hon. Member to the letter of 20 December 2005 from the Chief Executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker). Copies of this letter are available in the Library.
	One other vehicle is leased by DFID in London, for which the costs (including the driver) are as follows:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 200203 0 
			 200304 0 
			 200405 48,000 
			 200506 (10)48,000 
		
	
	(10) estimated
	Information on expenditure on vehicles overseas is not held centrally and cannot be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.
	There are no non-departmental public bodies (NDPB)s or agencies for which DFID is responsible. Our one other public body, CDC Group PLC, based in London, incurred no expenditure on vehicles over this period.

Departmental Expenditure

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent by his Department on refreshments in each year since 1997.

Gareth Thomas: The amounts spent by DFID on refreshments (including working lunches, and refreshments at meetings) is as follows:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 199697 10,000 
			 199798 24,000 
			 199899 43,000 
			 19992000 62,000 
			 200001 48,000 
			 200102 55,000 
			 200203 82,000 
			 200304 219,000 
			 200405 303,000 
			 200506 253,000 
		
	
	Expenditure is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting.
	In 200304, DFID introduced new procedures to draw together administration costs, including those entertainment costs which had previously been recorded on country programme budgets. These changes have improved transparency and management of administration costs, but mean that figures from 200304 now include entertainment costs that were previously funded by country programmes and as a result are not comparable with earlier years.

Departmental Expenditure

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) laptops and (b) mobile phones his Department bought in each year since 1997; and what the cost of each category of equipment was in each year.

Gareth Thomas: The numbers and cost of laptops and UK mobile phones purchased by DFID in each financial year since 1997 was as follows:
	
		
			  Number of laptops Cost of laptops Number of UK mobile phones Cost of UK mobile phones 
		
		
			 199798 121 n/a n/a n/a 
			 199899 125 n/a n/a n/a 
			 19992000 148 207,200 7 800 
			 200001 265 424,000 55 3,500 
			 200102 251 376,500 95 7,900 
			 200203 734 1,027,000 149 11,200 
			 200304 900 930,000 165 13,100 
			 200405 270 297,000 258 19,350 
		
	
	The cost of laptops, and the number and cost of mobile phones, in the year before 1999 could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.
	Mobile phones are purchased locally at each DFID office. The figures in the table show the number of mobile phones on the UK contracts. The numbers at each overseas office cannot be provided without incurring a disproportionate cost.
	DFID has made a substantial investment in laptop computers and mobile phones in the last three years as part of a structured move to new ways of working. Over half of DFID's staff now use a laptop instead of a desktop computer. This enables staff to work while travelling, and from DFID offices and other locations away from their normal base.

Departmental Expenditure

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on IT systems in each year since 1997; what the purpose of each system is; what the outturn against planned expenditure of each system was; and what the (a) planned and (b) actual date of completion was of each system.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has let three major IT contracts since 1997.
	The Human Resources (HR) system had a projected supplier cost at tender of 1.18 million and was due to be implemented in 30 months. The first four modules were implemented in 36 months at a total supplier cost of 1.22 million. The HR system project was superseded by an HR Transformation project which aims to radically change the way HR services are delivered and improve people management. The HR Transformation project is primarily a business change project but includes the remaining modules of the HR system project and a number of small IT components. This project is currently on track to deliver to time and budget.
	The Quest Electronic Document and Record Management system had a projected supplier base cost at tender of 8.98 million and was due to be implemented in 24 months. The Quest project is currently on track to deliver in 27 months. The projected total supplier cost is 10.76 million. This includes a number of additional cost options available under the original contract.
	The Aries Finance, Procurement and Reporting System, had a projected base supplier cost at tender of 11 million and is due to be implemented in 36 months. A number of additional cost options are available under the contract. The Aries project is currently on track to deliver to time and budget.
	DFID has also let a number of small IT related contracts. However, our central records do not distinguish IT contracts, so provision of details for these contracts would incur disproportionate costs.

CABINET OFFICE

Buncefield Depot Fire

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment the Civil Contingency Secretariat has made of the responses to the Buncefield Depot fire; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The Health and Safety Executive is leading the investigation into the cause of the accident and the implications for operations at similar sites elsewhere. The Civil Contingencies Secretariat has been in close contact with other Government Departments, and through the Government Office for the East of England with local respondersboth during the response and the ongoing recovery phaseto ensure wider issues with applicability to national disaster response arrangements are captured. The results of this work will feed into the on-going process for assessing issues arising from major emergencies and exercises so that lessons are identified, addressed and applied in the future.

Departmental Expenditure

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many (a) laptops and (b) mobile phones his Department bought in each year since 1997; and what the cost of each category of equipment was in each year.

Jim Murphy: Statistics on the quantities and costs of laptops and mobile phones bought in each year since 1997 are available only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Expenditure

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much his Department has spent on IT systems in each year since 1997; what the purpose of each system is; what the outturn against planned expenditure of each system was; and what the outturn time for implementation against planned time was.

Jim Murphy: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Expenditure

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much has been spent in each year since 1997 by his Department on salaries paid to civil servants.

Jim Murphy: The table shows Cabinet Office expenditure on civil servants' salaries each year since 199798 to 200405.
	
		
			National pay (000) National pay as a percentage of total expenditure 
		
		
			 199798 25,779 33 
			 199899 30,119 29 
			 19992000 35,116 33 
			 200001 39,956 34 
			 200102 48,573 28 
			 200203 58,563 36 
			 200304 56,776 36 
			 200405 58,709 37

Public Appointments

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people on renewable public appointments since 1997 did not have their contract renewed.

Jim Murphy: Precise figures are not available for the number of people whose appointments have not been renewed. Statistics on the number of new appointments and re-appointments to public bodies within the Commissioner for Public Appointments' remit are published in her annual report. Summary details of appointments made each year since 1997 are shown in the table. During this time, the number of bodies within the Commissioner's remit has changed and explanations are given where this has had a significant impact on the figures.
	
		
			  New appointments Re-appointments Total 
		
		
			 199798 1,186 744 1,930 
			 199899(11) 1,696 1,549 3,245 
			 19992000 2,117 723 2,840 
			 20002001(12) 2,793 1,063 3,856 
			 20012002 1,849 1,657 3,506 
			 20022003(13) 2,510 970 3,480 
			 20032004 1,765 1,113 2,878 
			 20042005 1,959 1,363 3,322 
		
	
	(11) On 1 October 1998, the Commissioner's remit was extended to advisory bodies, public corporations, nationalised industries and the utility regulators.
	(12) Increase in appointments largely due to new primary care trusts.
	(13) Increase in appointments largely due to new primary care trusts and new strategic health authorities.
	Source:
	Commissioner for Public Appointments Annual Reports

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum Seekers

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people claiming asylum have requested that their case be referred to judicial review in each of the last eight years; and what proportion of those cases were found in favour of the asylum seeker in each year.

Tony McNulty: Information on applications for judicial review and outcomes is published in the annual statistical bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom.

Asylum Seekers

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long Tirth Singh Malhi (reference number S835998) has been waiting for the outcome of his application for leave to remain in the United Kingdom; what the reasons are for the length of wait; and when he expects a decision to be made.

Tony McNulty: Mr. Tirth Singh Malhi has been waiting for the outcome of his application for leave to remain in the United Kingdom for approximately three years and ten months. The reason for this length of wait is administrative error. The immigration and nationality directorate wrote to Mr. Tirth Singh Malhi's solicitors on 17 January 2006 and refused his application. However, Mr. Tirth Singh Malhi has been granted a right of appeal.

Bicester Accommodation Centre

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the subcontractors instructed by GSL UK Ltd. on the project to build an accommodation centre for asylum seekers at Bicester.

Tony McNulty: Carillion is the subcontractor named in the contract between immigration and nationality directorate (IND) and GSL (UK) Ltd.

Control Orders

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the nationalities are of the non-British subjects of control orders.

Charles Clarke: I cannot comment on individual cases.
	There are anonymity orders in place protecting the identity of the individuals subject to control orders. The anonymity orders do not in themselves prevent disclosure of nationality, but in certain cases this may allow their identity to be determined. The Home Secretary has therefore made the decision not to reveal the nationalities of foreign nationals who have been made the subject of control orders.

Departmental Staff

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive agency and (iii) other public body for which his Department is responsible are located in (A) Scotland, (B) England, excluding Greater London, (C) Greater London, (D) Wales, (E) Northern Ireland and (F) overseas.

Charles Clarke: The number and percentage of jobs in (a) Home Office, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive agency and (iii) other public body for which the Home Office is responsible are located in (A) Scotland, (B) England, excluding Greater London, (c) Greater England, (D) Wales, (E) Northern Ireland and (F) overseas, are listed in the following table:
	
		
			  (A) Scotland (B)England Excluding GL (C) Greater London (D) Wales (E) Northern Ireland (F) Overseas No location(14) 
		
		
			 (a) Department
			 CORE Home Office 0 681.06 3,781.30 2.8 0 2 14 
			 Percentage  15.20 84.40 0.05  0.04 0.31 
			 
			 Prison Service 0 40,418 5,725 980 0 0 0 
			 Percentage 0 86 12 2
			 
			 UKPS 289 1,581 673 370 153 0 0 
			 Percentage 9 52 22 12 5   
			 
			 IND 277.05 6,484.70 10,369.08 90.31 16 75.12 218.64 
			 Percentage 2 37 59 0.50 0.10 0.40 1 
			 
			 (b)(i) NDPBs
			 Criminal Case Review Commission (CCRC) 0 97 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Percentage  100  
			 
			 Community Development Foundation (CDF) 17 14 29 2 0 0 0 
			 Percentage 27 23 47 3
			 
			 Central Police Training and Development (CENREX) 0 1,139 55 72 0 0 0 
			 Percentage  90 4 6
			 
			 Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) 360 0 155 0 0 0 0 
			 Percentage 70  30 
			 
			 Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel (CICAP) 29 0 35 0 0 0 0 
			 Percentage 45  55 
			 
			 Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) 11 32 175 11 0 0 0 
			 Percentage 5 14 76 5
			 
			 Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) 0 120 224 41 0 0 0 
			 Percentage  31 58 11
			 
			 National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) (15) (15) (15) (15) (15) (15) (15)1,087 
			  
			 National Crime Squad (NCS) (15) (15) (15) (15) (15) (15) (15)1,850 
			 
			 Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) 0 0 62 0 0 0 0 
			 Percentage   100 
			 
			 Parole Board 0 0 69 0 0 0 0 
			 Percentage   100 
			 Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) 2 0. 63 754 0 0 0 0 
			 Percentage 0.30 7.70 92 
			 
			 Security Industry Authority (SIA) 0 26 70 3 0 0 0 
			 Percentage  26 71 3
			 
			 Youth Justice Board (YJB) 0 38 170 4 0 0 0 
			 Percentage  18 80 2
			 
			 (ii) Executive agencies
			 Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) 0 396 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Percentage  99.70 0.30 
			 
			 (iii) Public Bodies
			 Forensic Science Services (FSS) 0 1,886 455 212 0 0 0 
			 Percentage  74 18 8
		
	
	(14) Staff on long term leave, or in transit between posts where no location is centrally recorded, or where location is withheld for reasons of security, such as in respect of animal inspectorate.
	(15) For operational reasons it would not be appropriate to disclose geographical allocation of staff in respect of NCS and NCIS.

Deportations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department from which country each of those detained pending deportation originated; and to which country it is intended to deport them, subject to an acceptable Memorandum of Understanding.

Tony McNulty: 10 persons from several countries including Algeria and Jordan are currently detained, under immigration powers, pending deportation to their country of origin for reasons of national security. In all cases eventual deportation is subject to the negotiation of Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) and specific assurances with the home country of the individuals concerned.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the immigration and nationality directorate will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Aylesbury of 23 September 2005 to the immigration and nationality directorate about the case of Ms V.E.S. of Aylesbury (reference S1198241 and B22849/5).

Tony McNulty: The director general of the immigration and nationality directorate wrote to my hon. Friend on 18 January.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money the Government spent on counter-narcotics work in Afghanistan during 200405.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK spent 24,442,350.00 on counter-narcotics (CN) work in Afghanistan during 200405. The activity this funded included: the running of seven training courses on intelligence and investigation techniques for the Afghan Counter-Narcotics Police; support for over five major seizures of opiates; the provision of a mobile forensic laboratory; and help to establish regional law enforcement offices in seven provincial centres outside Kabul.
	On 5 September, I announced new UK funding for Afghan CN in a joint press conference with Afghan CN Minister Qaderi. Details of this are available at http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPagec-Pagecid=1007029391638a= KArticleaid=1125559465083%20year=2005month= 20050901date=20050905. The UK is to provide more than 270 million over the next three years. 130 million of the funding will be provided by the Department for International Development with the rest coming from other Government Departments including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Ministry of Defence.

Afghanistan

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedures will govern the UK's handling of prisoners captured and detained by International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces in Afghanistan when captured by UK contingents (a) as a part of NATO ISAF and (b) operating as a part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Adam Ingram: All personnel receive appropriate pre-deployment training in advance of commencing operations; for those to whom it is relevant, this includes specific training on the rules and principles involved in handling prisoners of war, internees and detainees; this can also include briefing by institutions such as the International Committee of the Red Cross.
	United Kingdom procedures governing the handling of prisoners are consistent with the principles of the Geneva Conventions whether detaining as part of an ISAF operation or Operation Enduring Freedom. Joint Warfare Publication 110 Prisoners of War Handling covers the principles, responsibilities, practices and procedures for the UK armed forces in handling prisoners of war. This publication is available on the Ministry of Defence website at www.mod.uk/jdcc.

Afghanistan

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many mobilised reservists in each of the three services he expects to be required for deployment to Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: No final decisions have been made on the possible deployment of British forces to Southern Afghanistan as part of the expansion of the international security assistance force. Consequently it would be premature to give details of the number of reservists that might be required.

Audible Fire Alarms

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the premises occupied by his Department is fitted with audible fire alarms.

Don Touhig: The information is not collected in this form and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Ministry of Defence is committed to ensuring compliance with fire safety law in premises it occupies. That includes provision of fire detection and warning systems that are appropriate to the circumstances of the case.

British Base, Cyprus

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to public funds of the British base in Cyprus has been in each of the last five years.

Adam Ingram: The costs of maintaining UK military facilities on Cyprus for each of the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 200405 223 
			 200304 247 
			 200203 240 
			 200102 206 
			 200001 213

C-130 Hercules

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the defensive aids fitted to the Hercules aircraft shot down in Iraq in 2005.

John Reid: holding answer 19 January 2006
	The Hercules that was shot down was fully equipped with infra-red defensive counter measures, plus an enhanced defensive capability.

Departmental Estate

Jim Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the disposal of departmental land in Livingston constituency.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence has no current plans to dispose of any land or property in the Livingston constituency.

Departmental Vehicles

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cars are (a) owned and (b) leased by his Department; what models the cars are; what type of petrol each model requires; and what the fuel efficiency is of each model.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence currently leases in excess of 8,800 cars for non-operational use, the overwhelming majority of which are powered by diesel engines. The requirement for vehicles is specified in output terms rather than by vehicle model. Information on the total number and fuel efficiency of each model leased is not therefore held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	In addition there are a small quantity of cars owned by the Ministry of Defence for use on operations. Information on these is being withheld on the basis that disclosure could prejudice operational capability.

Iraq

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 223W, on Iraq, in what month in 200203 operations commenced for the purposes of the calculation of total expenditure on operations in Iraq.

John Reid: Operation Telic commenced on the 20 March 2003 at which time the Ministry of Defence was allowed to claim the additional cost of the operation from the Treasury Reserve.

Ministry of Defence Stores

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total gross replacement value of Ministry of Defence stores lodged with its contractors and subsequently found to be either lost or otherwise not available for use for Ministry of Defence purposes was in each quarter since January 1999; and what costs have been recovered by his Department in respect of such stores.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 18 January 2006
	The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, detailed as follows are the financial recoveries notified to the Department's Asset Accounting Centre (AAC) during the period April 2000 to December 2005.
	
		
			 Financial year Financial recoveries 
		
		
			 200001  
			 Qtr 1 (16) 
			 Qtr 2 (16) 
			 Qtr 3 4,349 
			 Qtr 4 350,365 
			   
			 200102  
			 Qtr 1 550,101 
			 Qtr 2 110,745 
			 Qtr 3 79,449 
			 Qtr 4 259,171 
			  
			 200203  
			 Qtr 1 1,252,077 
			 Qtr 2 1,523,927 
			 Qtr3 50,022 
			 Qtr4 501,329 
			   
			 200304  
			 Qtr 1 249,250 
			 Qtr 2 133,322 
			 Qtr 3 149,011 
			 Qtr 4 146,153 
			 200405  
			 Qtr 1 536,727 
			 Qtr2 28,390 
			 Qtr 3 171,071 
			 Qtr 4 799,193 
			   
			 200506  
			 Qtr 1 74,497 
			 Qtr 2 727,390 
			 Qtr 3 457,096 
		
	
	(16) No recoveries notified

Nuclear Operations (RAF Lakenheath)

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what procedures are in place to ensure that US aircraft based at RAF Lakenheath only carry out nuclear operations with the consent of the British Government;
	(2)  whether he has had any discussions with the US Administration following the leaking of the draft Joint Doctrine for Nuclear Operations concerning US strategies for using US nuclear weapons stored at RAF Lakenheath;
	(3)  whether he has power of veto over the operational use of US nuclear weapons based at RAF Lakenheath;
	(4)  what procedures are in place to monitor US activity involving the (a) nuclear weapons and (b) aircraft based at RAF Lakenheath.

Adam Ingram: It is Government policy to neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons at any particular location or any particular time.
	I can confirm that HMG has to be fully consulted and agree before any UK-based US forces are deployed operationally. The Joint Churchill-Truman Communiqu of January 1952 stated:
	Under arrangements made for the common defence, the United States has the use of certain bases in the United Kingdom. We reaffirm the understanding that the use of these bases in an emergency would be a matter for joint decision by HM Government and the US Government in the light of the circumstances prevailing at the time.
	There have not been any discussions with the US Administration following the leaking of a draft of a revised US Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations.

QinetiQ

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library the information upon which the decision to sell off the remaining Government stake in QinetiQ was taken.

John Reid: The decision to float Qinetiq was taken by the Government, Carlyle and Qinetiq, informed by the advice from our joint financial advisers. This advice was given under contractually committed confidentiality agreements, and I am therefore unable to release it. It remains the Government's intention to retain a stake in Qinetiq after the flotation.

QinetiQ

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures are in place to safeguard the terms and conditions of current employees of QinetiQ after privatisation.

John Reid: QinetiQ became a company in July 2001. Employees who were transferred to the company were protected under TUPE regulations. This position will not change as a result of the Initial Public Offering.

QinetiQ

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures are in place to protect QinetiQ sites from closure after privatisation.

John Reid: The position regarding site closures will not change as a result of an Initial Private Offering. When QinetiQ vested as a company in 2001, MOD put arrangements in place to protect assets or capabilities that are of strategic importance to UK defence and security. These are enforced through the retention of a Government special share in QinetiQ, as well as through provisions in specific contracts such as the Long Term Partnering Agreement for test and evaluation.

QinetiQ

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether receipts from the sale of QinetiQ assets and estates after privatisation will be (a) kept by the new owners and (b) paid to the Government.

John Reid: The position regarding receipts from the sale of assets and estates will not change as a result of an IPO. When QinetiQ vested as a company in 2001, it was required to purchase the assets from the Government. This transaction was fully audited by the National Audit Office. Consequently, the receipts from the sale of assets go directly to the company. In relation to land sales, the Ministry of Defence put clawback arrangements in place to ensure that the taxpayer would benefit directly from any substantial subsequent increase in value.

QinetiQ

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to float QinetiQ as a single entity.

John Reid: The intention is to float QinetiQ as a single entity.

QinetiQ

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will list sites in the UK occupied by Qinetiq; and how much land is owned in each case;
	(2)  if he will list sites owned by Qinetiq in the UK that have planning permission for (a) greenfield and (b) brownfield developments.

John Reid: This is an operational matter for the company; questions should be referred to the Chief Executive at the following address:
	Graham Love
	Chief Executive
	QinetiQ Limited
	Cody Technology Park
	Building Al
	Ively Road
	Farnborough
	Hampshire
	GU14 0LX

QinetiQ

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value is of the land owned by (a) his Department and (b) QinetiQ in Rochford and Southend East constituency.

Don Touhig: The value of the land owned by the Ministry of Defence in the Rochford and Southend East has been recorded as 11.5 million in existing use (that is depreciated replacement costs) terms. Land owned by QinetiQ, is an operational matter for the company; questions should be referred to the Chief Executive at the following address:
	Graham Love
	Chief Executive
	QinetiQ Limited
	Cody Technology Park
	Building Al
	Ively Road
	Farnborough
	Hampshire
	GU14 0LX

Royal Navy

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether UK naval vessels have recently been prevented from going to sea due to a shortage of fuel or the resources to pay for fuel; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: No Royal Navy vessels have recently been prevented from going to sea due to a shortage of fuel or the resources to pay for fuel.

Territorial Army

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the financial package remains the same for Territorial Army personnel who volunteer for a second deployment within a three-year period, having fulfilled their compulsory deployment.

Don Touhig: The financial package remains the same for both periods of mobilised service should a member of the Territorial Army volunteer for an additional period of service after completing a compulsory commitment. In April of last year, the Department introduced statutory instrument 859, which improves considerably the financial assistance available to reservists on call-out.

Territorial Army

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the Territorial Army commitment is to the civil contingency reaction force; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: Civil contingency reaction forces (CCRFs) are based on the 14 Territorial Army (TA) infantry battalions spread across the country. Each CCRF comprises a pool of around 500 personnel drawn from the volunteer reserve forces, mainly the TA, who have volunteered for the CCRF commitment in addition to their normal role.

Territorial Army

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under what circumstances the 12-month Territorial Army compulsory mobilisation within a three-year period can be extended.

Don Touhig: Operational requirements may necessitate the extension of the 12-month period of compulsory mobilisation for members of the reserve forces to two years but this would only occur under exceptional circumstances. There are no plans to extend the duration of the maximum period of obligatory service permitted under part VI of the Reserve Forces Act 1996. Reservists may voluntarily agree to extend their period of service.

Veterans' Badges

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many veterans' badges have been issued since the badge was introduced.

Don Touhig: The veterans' badge scheme was launched in May 2004 and, to date, some 182,000 ex-Service personnel have applied for and received the badge.

HEALTH

Abortions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department plans to take to reduce the number of abortions in each of the next five years; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: For information on action being taken to reduce the number of abortions, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 July 2005, Official Report, column 2142W.
	Improving access to contraception was identified as a priority area in the Choosing Health White Paper. An extra 40 million for primary care trusts has been provided for the next two years. We are currently carrying out a national audit of contraceptive services, which we aim to publish in the spring. We are also working with the Healthcare Commission to see what further steps might be taken to improve the local delivery of teenage pregnancy prevention, contraceptive and abortion services as part of a wider programme of improvement of sexual health services.

Acute Trusts

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether each acute trust which is in deficit has engaged in self-commissioning activity above the value of 10,000 over the last five years.

Liam Byrne: Acute trusts do not self-commission.

Acute Trusts

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average length of stay was for patients in (a) acute trusts, (b) Surrey and Sussex health authority area and (c) England in the last year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The data requested are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Mean length of spell in days national health service hospitals in England 200405 Mean length of stay in days 
		
		
			 (a) Acute Trusts 5.3 
			 (b1) Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority  (SHA) of Residence 7.6 
			 (b2) Surrey and Sussex SHA of Treatment 7.9 
			 (c) England 7.1 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The mean length of stay in (b1) is based on the patients that were resident in Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area and (b2) is based on the patients that were treated in Surrey and Sussex SHA area.
	2. A length of spell is defined as a period of in-patient care within one health care provider that commences with the patient's admission and ends on the date of discharge. It may comprise of one or more finished consultant episodes.
	3. A length of stay (LOS) is calculated as the difference in days between the admission date and the discharge date, where both are given. LOS is based on hospital spells and only applies to ordinary admissions, i.e. day cases are excluded. Information relating to LOS figures, including discharge method or destination, diagnoses and any operative procedures, is based only on the final episode of the spell.
	4. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data, that is, the data is ungrossed.
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre

Alcohol Data

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2005, Official Report, column 2600W, on alcohol, 
	(1)  for what reasons data for 200405 were omitted; and if she will publish the data for 200405 on counts of finished consultant episodes;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2005, Official Report, column 2603W, on alcohol, for what reasons data for 200405 were omitted; and if she will publish the data for 200405 on counts of finished admission episodes.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the table. I regret that my previous reply was incomplete.
	
		Counts of finished consultant episodes where there was a primary diagnosis code for selected alcohol-related diseases(17)
		
			 Strategic health authority of residence Aged under 18 Aged 18 and over Age not known Total 
		
		
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic HA 169 2,730 3 2,902 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Strategic HA 123 1,154  1,277 
			 Essex Strategic HA 73 1,476  1,549 
			 North West London Strategic HA 83 2,068 5 2,156 
			 North Central London Strategic HA 70 1,465 3 1,538 
			 North East London Strategic HA 53 1,571 2 1,626 
			 South East London Strategic HA 89 2,231 2 2,322 
			 South West London Strategic HA 135 1,523 4 1,662 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic HA 151 2,260 2 2,413 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley Strategic HA 164 1,589  1,753 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Strategic HA 229 1,747  1,976 
			 West Yorkshire Strategic HA 168 2,051  2,219 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic HA 293 2,987 1 3,281 
			 Greater Manchester Strategic HA 408 4548 1 4,957 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic HA 352 5,959  6,311 
			 Thames Valley Strategic HA 148 1,556  1,704 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic HA 193 2,240 1 2,434 
			 Kent and Medway Strategic HA 170 1,240  1,410 
			 Surrey and Sussex Strategic HA 271 2,323  2,594 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic HA 158 2,242 3 2,403 
			 South West Peninsula Strategic HA 185 1,982 14 2,181 
			 Dorset and Somerset Strategic HA 95 1,150  1,245 
			 South Yorkshire Strategic HA 129 1,725  1,854 
			 Trent Strategic HA 233 3,436  3,669 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland Strategic HA 86 1,621  1,707 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic HA 170 1,610  1,780 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country Strategic HA 246 2,991  3,237 
			 West Midlands South Strategic HA 163 1,773  1,936 
			 Scotland 3 62  65 
			 Englandnot otherwise specified 28 1,224 40 1,292 
			 Wales 21 190  211 
			 Foreign (including Isle of Man and Channel Islands) 14 133 1 148 
			 Unknown 33 753 40 826 
			 Northern Ireland  32  32 
			 Total 4,906 63,642 122 68,670 
		
	
	(17) Alcohol related diseases defined as following ICD-10 codes recorded in primary diagnosis:
	F10: Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol
	K70: Alcoholic liver disease
	T51: Toxic effect of alcohol
	NHS Hospitals, England 200405

Alcohol Licensing

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the exemption under Part 1, Clause 3, sub-section (2)(b) of the proposed Health Bill will apply to bingo club premises holding a premises licence under the Licensing Act 2003 allowing the consumption of alcohol on the premises, providing that food is not supplied.

Caroline Flint: The very specific circumstances of a bingo club as described in the question are not detailed on the face of the Bill.
	We will give this point due consideration in drafting regulations.

Alzheimer's Disease

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when she expects to receive the recommendation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence relating to (a) Donepezil, (b) Rivastigmine, (c) Galantamine and (d) Memantine; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2005, Official Report, column 398W, on Alzheimer's disease, what discussions she has had with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence since her meeting of 9 June regarding appraisal of drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease;
	(3)  what estimate she has made of the annual cost of treating a patient suffering from Alzheimer's disease with (a) Donepezil, (b) Rivastigmine, (c) Galantamine and (d) Memantine.

Jane Kennedy: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) communicated the decision of its appraisal committee to consultees, including the Department, under NICE's normal rules of confidentiality on 16 January 2006. This communication will be published on its website on 23 January, at www.nice.org.uk.
	Since 9 June 2005, I have had no further meetings with NICE regarding its appraisal of drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. However, I received a brief factual update from the chairman of NICE when I met him at the NICE annual conference on 7 December 2005.
	NICE'S Appraisal Consultation Document on drugs for Alzheimer's disease (March 2005) suggested that the cost of a year's supply of each of these four drugs is:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 Donepezil (18)828.30 to 1,160.96 
			 Rivastigmine 886.95 
			 Galantamine (18)890.60 to 1,095 
			 Memantine 899.54 
		
	
	(18) Depending on dose
	These costs are based on prices published in the British National Formulary and exclude value added tax. Costs may vary in different settings because of negotiated procurement discounts.

Ambulance Response Times

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the ambulance response times are for (a) Bridlington, (b) Driffield and (c) England for the past 12 months for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The Department collects ambulance response time data by ambulance trust rather than by geographical area. Therefore, the information for parts (a) and (b) of the question is not centrally collected in the requested format.
	The data that the Department does collect on ambulance response times are published in tables 5a, 5b, 6 and 7 of the statistical bulletin, Ambulance services, England: 200405, which is available in the Library and on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/ll/36/79/04113679.pdf.
	This publication includes ambulance response time data for the Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Trust, which covers Bridlington and Driffield (East Yorkshire), and for the whole of England for 200405.

Ambulance Staff (Assaults)

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many private prosecutions for assault of ambulance staff while on duty were brought in conjunction with the Legal Protection Unit in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many of these resulted in convictions.

Jane Kennedy: The NHS Security Management Service Legal Protection Unit (NHS SMS LPU) became fully operational from March 2004, and provides for the first-time ever the national health service with nationally consistent legal advice on what can be done to deal with those who abuse and assault NHS staff.
	Since its creation, the NHS LPU has provided advice to 12 ambulance trusts on a number of cases involving violence and abuse against NHS staff. It has also undertaken a successful civil action on behalf of Mersey regional ambulance service involving an individual who had abused NHS staff over a number of years.
	The overall number of identified prosecutions involving physical assaults on ambulance staff in England for 200405 totalled 100.

Calcium (Children)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the impact on intake of calcium in children's diets of the proposed withdrawal of the provision of milk in schools, with particular reference to areas of social deprivation;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the effect of the provision of milk in schools on children's health.

Caroline Flint: The Department recognises the nutritional value of milk within the context of a healthy balanced diet, particularly as a good source of calcium in children's diet. Indeed many low income families receive free milk as part of the welfare food scheme.
	Although there is no statutory requirement for milk to be provided in schools, the Government encourages local education authorities and schools to make milk available for those pupils who want it. The European Union school milk subsidy scheme and the national top-up scheme subsidise the provision of milk to children in those primary and nursery schools wishing to participate. Appropriate Government departments have considered the recommendations from the recent independent report on the national top-up and agreed that the subsidy for school milk should remain unchanged.

Cancer Services

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how payment by results will operate in respect of cancer services; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 16 January 2006
	Under payment by results (PbR), hospitals are paid according to the number and complexity of cases treated. PbR is being implemented incrementally over a four-year transition period and will cover 67 per cent. of commissioning expenditure by 200809.
	From 200809, the intention is to expand the scope of PbR to include chemotherapy and radiotherapy through the introduction of revised casemix classifications known as Healthcare Resource Groups, that is, HRGs Version 4.0. In addition, HRGs are being developed for specialist palliative care. In the meantime, commissioning of these services remain outside the scope of PbR and prices for these services continue to be negotiated locally.

Cancer Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2005, Official Report, column 278W, on waiting times, what meetings her Department has held with stakeholders about the (a) resourcing, (b) implementation and (c) monitoring of the 2005 Labour party manifesto commitment that all women with breast symptoms should be seen within two weeks of referral by their general practitioner; which groups attended these meetings; what the content of these meetings was; what the timetable is for developing a framework determining the (i) resourcing, (ii) implementation and (iii) monitoring of this commitment; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Breakthrough Breast Cancer was closely involved in the early thinking about this commitment and representatives from the Department met with the charity early in 2005 and will be meeting with the charity again shortly to further discuss this commitment. The Department has assessed the need for additional staff required to meet the commitment and we have commissioned Skills for Health, which is the Sector Skills Council for Health, to develop competencies in breast assessment. Once these competencies are agreed they could be used to develop training programmes to increase the number of breast assessment staff. Skills for Health are engaging with a wide range of stakeholders in the development and piloting of the competencies including charities, Royal Colleges, professional groups and national health service organisations. The Department will also be engaging with further stakeholders to determine resourcing, implementation and monitoring arrangements.

Capital Schemes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the capital cost was of each publicly funded capital scheme over 10 million for which her Department is responsible (a) at the outline business case stage, (b) as reported in the 200405 financial year and (c) in the 200506 financial year; and what the percentage change in capital costs (i) has been since the outline business case stage and (ii) is in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: The Department does not hold the information requested.

Care Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2005, Official Report, column 1799W, on care homes, whether local authorities have (a) a duty and (b) discretion (i) to contract with a care home for an individual's accommodation and care and (ii) to charge the individual under the charging rules according to their financial circumstances.

Liam Byrne: Section 21 of the National Assistance Act 1948 (NAA) provides for a local authority (LA) to make arrangements to provide residential accommodation where, as a result of their age, illness, disability or other circumstances, a person over 18 is in need of care and attention which is not otherwise available to them. LAs have a duty to arrange accommodation in such circumstances for persons who are ordinarily resident in their area or who are in urgent need of the accommodation concerned. They have a power to arrange it for persons with no settled residence or, with the agreement of that authority, for persons who are ordinarily resident in the area of another LA. Where the person is assessed as not needing care and attention or as having care and attention otherwise available to them, for example because they have both the resources and the ability to arrange their own care, there is no power or duty under the NAA for a LA to make arrangements for a person to be accommodated in a home. In this case, if requested, a LA may provide information and advice to help the person find an appropriate care home.
	Where the LA arranges accommodation, it is required to charge the person to whom the accommodation is provided in accordance with a statutory scheme.

Cerebral Palsy

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to improve the care offered to those with cerebral palsy.

Liam Byrne: The national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions, published in March 2005, specifically focuses on improving services for people with neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy. People with these conditions will get faster diagnosis, more rapid treatment and a comprehensive package of care under the NSF.
	Services in the NSF include:
	comprehensive assessment and regular review of people's problems;
	joint health and social care plans that change over time (especially for people with rapidly progressing conditions) and take other needs into account such as housing, transport, benefits, education, careers advice, employment and leisure;
	everyone having a single point of access to services via a named contact;
	self-referral, allowing people to refer themselves quickly back to services as their care needs change;
	access to a broad range of services including rehabilitation, equipment, accommodation, and personal care to help people live as independently as possible at home, and palliative care; and
	support to help people to work or take up other vocational opportunities.

Cerebral Palsy

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of people suffering from cerebral palsy in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: Information on the number of people living with cerebral palsy is not collected.

Community Care

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many service users of social services departments have been in receipt of direct payments in each year since 1997; and how many adults receiving community care services provided by social services departments there were in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: The table shows the number of people aged 18 and over receiving community based services as at 31 March for the years 2001 to 2005 in England and the number from these totals who received direct payments. Data are not available for the earlier years.
	
		Number of adults(19) receiving community based services(20) and direct payments at 31 March, 200105England
		
			  At 31 March:  Total(19) Of whom received direct payments 
		
		
			 2001 941,200 4,000 
			 2002 968,400 5,300 
			 2003(21) 982,100 8,600 
			 2004(21) 994,400 14,000 
			 2005(21)(5508660022) (23)980700 22,100 
		
	
	(19) Adults aged 18 and over.
	(20) Community based services includes day care, meals, respite care, direct payments, professional support, transport and equipment as well as home care.
	(21) Data includes clients formerly in receipt of preserved rights.
	(22) Data for 2005 are provisional.
	(23) Data on the number of people receiving community based services in 2005 is not comparable to data for previous years. In 2005 restated guidance was issued to exclude people receiving services from grant-funded organisations who had not had a community care assessment.
	Note:
	Figures may not sum due to rounding.
	Source:
	RAP proforma P2s, KS1

Co-terminous Boundaries

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to promote co-terminous boundaries for primary care trusts and unitary authorities.

Liam Byrne: One of the key criteria from 'Commissioning a Patient Led NHS' was to
	improve co-ordination with social services through greater congruence of PCT and local authority boundaries.
	Currently 44 per cent. of primary care trusts (PCTs) are co-terminous with local government boundaries, this will rise to a minimum of 77 per cent. as a result of the PCT reconfiguration exercise which is currently the subject of public consultation. The percentage co-terminous could be considerably higher depending on the outcome of that consultation.
	However, 'Commissioning a Patient Led NHS' also identified seven other criteria which must be met when considering PCT reconfiguration. This may mean that co-terminosity with local authorities may not always be the optimum configuration, and in some cases it may be sensible for PCTs to contain more than one unitary authority within their boundaries or to have several PCTs in a large local government area in order to meet local health needs.

Dentistry

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on (a) NHS dentistry and (b) the NHS as a whole in (i) 1997 and (ii) the latest year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The main elements of national health service dental services are the primary care services provided through the general dental services (GDS). In addition, a significant proportion of primary dental care is now provided by dentists working within the personal dental services (PDS) under new local commissioning arrangements agreed with primary care trusts. These elements, together with total NHS expenditure, are shown in the table. Net PDS expenditure is shown as an estimated range because the 200405 accounts format did not permit a precise identification of PCTs' net expenditure on PDS separate from other elements of discretionary health expenditure.
	PCTs also commission community and hospital dental services to provide oral health programmes, or care to patients with special needs or more complex dental problems, but expenditure on these services is not separately identified in central returns.
	
		NHS net expenditure: NHS, GDS, PDS --  million
		
			  199798(24) 200405(25) 
		
		
			 Net NHS expenditure: England(26) 34,664 69,706 
			 Net GDS expenditure: England 959 1,246 
			 Estimated net PDS expenditure:  England 0 225250 
		
	
	(24) 199798 expenditure is on a cash basis.
	(25) 200405 expenditure is on a stage two resource budgeting basis and is therefore not directly comparable with the 199798 data.
	(26) Total NHS expenditure data are shown net of all sources of income. GDS and PDS data are shown net of dental charges paid by patients.

Dentistry

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists were admitting new NHS patients on 1 December 2005 in (a) England, (b) Northamptonshire and (c) Wellingborough.

Rosie Winterton: Data regarding the number of dentists admitting new national health service patients are not available centrally. Individual primary care trusts should be able to provide this information for their local areas.

Diabetes

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the total cost to the NHS of providing care to those with diabetes for the most recent year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The Department's resource accounts shows gross expenditure on diabetes in 200405 was 687 million.

Diabetes

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the total number of people with (a) type 1 and (b) type 2 diabetes in each year since 1997; how many finished episodes of care relating to the treatment of diabetes there have been in each year since 1997; what estimate she has made of the total number of patients who will have (i) type 1 and (ii) type 2 diabetes in 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of people with diabetes is not available in the exact form requested. The following information is available for diagnosed diabetes only.
	Estimates of the number of people aged 16 and over with doctor-diagnosed diabetes can be derived for some earlier years from the Health Survey for England, collected every five years, and are shown in table one.
	
		Table 1: People aged 16 and over with doctor-diagnosed diabetes in England
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1998 1,070,000 
			 2003 1,550,000 
		
	
	The Health Survey for England estimated that in 2003, around 90 per cent. of those with doctor-diagnosed diabetes had type two diabetes 1 .
	The number of patients diagnosed with diabetes identified by general practitioner practices in England in 200405 was 1,766,391 2 . This is the first year of data from this source. Figures are not available for type one and type two diabetes separately.
	Table two shows all diagnoses count of finished consultant episodes for diabetes NHS Hospitals, England 199798 to 200405.
	
		Table 2: All diagnoses count of finished consultant episodes
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 199798 413,340 
			 199899 454,632 
			 19992000 498,179 
			 200001 543,867 
			 200102 585,770 
			 200203 667,352 
			 200304 731,708 
			 200405 829,160 
		
	
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre
	Projections suggest that in England around 2.6 million people will have diabetes by 2010 3 .
	1 Self-reported prevalence estimates published in 2003 Health Survey for England.
	2 200405 Quality and Outcomes Framework data published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. 3 PBS Prevalence Model.

Family Planning

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice her Department offers to those bodies offering family planning concerning whether there is a minimum age for offering contraception (a) with and (b) without parental consent.

Caroline Flint: Health professionals provide contraception to young people under 16 within an established legal framework which involves assessing the young person's competence to understand the choices they are making and encouraging them to talk to their parents. A young person's request for confidentiality is respected unless there are child protection concerns. The Department's guidance Best practice guidance for doctors and other health professionals on the provision of advice and treatment to young people under 16 on contraception, sexual and reproductive health, stresses that duty of confidentiality is not absolute. Where a health professional believes that there is a risk to the health, safety or welfare of a young person which is so serious as to outweigh the young person's right to privacy, they should follow locally agreed child protection protocols as outlined in the Government guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children (1999).
	The younger the teenager the greater concern about possible abuse or exploitation, but health professionals will assess risk on the facts of each individual case.

Fertility Treatment

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2005, Official Report, column 1568W, on fertility treatment, whether the Department has issued guidance to primary care trusts (PCTs) on how they should involve patient groups in decision-making on the prioritisation of funding for health services; what formal structures PCTs are expected to have in place to ensure that they involve patient groups in such decision-making; what monitoring is undertaken of PCTs' involvement of such groups; and who carries out that monitoring.

Caroline Flint: The Department's guidance, Strengthening Accountability (2003), provides details on how to deliver the legal requirement in section 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 for all national health service organisations to involve and consult patients and the public on service development and provision on an on going basis. Compliance with Section 11 is assessed by the Healthcare Commission, and effectiveness in fulfilling the duty goes towards organisations' overall performance ratings. Primary care trusts are not required to have any formal structures but must show that they have arrangements in place to ensure that patients, the public and their representatives are involved in the planning and development of services.

Freedom of Information

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Freedom of Information applications her Department has received; how many have taken more than 20 days to process; and how many of these gave rise to complaints about the time taken.

Jane Kennedy: The Department received 660 freedom of information (FOI) applications between the period 1 January 2005 and 30 June 2005. 271 FOI applications took more than 20 days to process. Of these, 20 were requests where the 20 days deadline for response was extended to allow for consideration of the balance of public interest. The Department has received one complaint about the time taken to respond.
	The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) is committed to publishing quarterly updates in relation to departmental performance under FOI, including information on both the volume and outcomes of requests. The bulletin for the second quarter was published on 30 September 2005 and is available on the DCA's website at www.foi.gov.uk/statsapr-jun05.htm and is available in the Library. The next bulletin was published before Christmas, and an annual report will be published in early 2006.

Genito-urinary Medicine Clinics

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) Government target and (b) waiting times for an appointment at a genito-urinary medicine clinic within the Gravesham constituency were in the last period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: All primary care trusts' local delivery plans now include a target that the percentage of patients attending genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics who are offered an appointment to be seen within 48 hours of contacting a service reach 100 per cent. by 2008.
	The report from the most recent survey of GUM clinic waiting times for August 2005 is published by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). This report provides details of the numbers of attendees seen within 48 hours of first contacting the clinic, and the number offered an appointment within 48 hours, including those who chose not to attend. This report which includes data for individual clinics, including those in the Gravesham area, is available on HPA's website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/epidemiology/August_2005_waiting_times_report.pdf

Genito-urinary Medicine Clinics

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of attenders at genito-urinary medicine clinics were not given an appointment within two weeks in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: The most recent audit of waiting times for genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics, for which data are available, was carried out in August 2005. This audit showed that 21 per cent. of attendees at GUM clinics were not seen within two weeks. However, some of these patients will have been offered an earlier appointment but been unable to attend.
	A summary of August 2005 data is published on the Health Protection Agency website at the following web address: www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/epidemiology/wtimes.htm.
	Overall, the number of attendees at GUM clinics being offered an appointment within 48 hours in England increased from 45 per cent. in May 2005 to 48 per cent. in August 2005.

Gershon Review

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made, in terms of (a) headcount reductions and (b) cost savings, in achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review.

Liam Byrne: Early 200405 gains were reported in Budget 2005 and the Department's annual report. Gains to quarter 2 200506 were in our autumn performance report.

Goldman Algorithm

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 January 2996 to Question 3775 on the Goldman algorithm, if she will list the algorithms used by the NHS in the assessment of acute myocardial infarction.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally. However, when the Department published the national service framework for coronary heart disease in 2000, chapter 3, Heart attacks and other acute coronary syndromes provided best practice guides and protocols regarding the assessment of suspected myocardial infarction. The algorithms used will vary according to the clinician's preference.

Health Budget

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence was used to inform the statement in her speech to the London School of Economics on 13 December that less of the country's health budget is spent on prevention than almost any other developed country.

Liam Byrne: The evidence is in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's report, A System of Health Accounts.

Health Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list (a) the programmes funded from her Department's Centrally Funded Initiatives and Services and Special Allocations budget in each year since 199798 and (b) future expenditure commitments already announced by Ministers which will be financed from this budget in the 200506 financial year.

Liam Byrne: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Health Services (West Lancashire)

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the number of people in the West Lancashire constituency in at risk groups who have not received a seasonal influenza vaccination this winter.

Caroline Flint: This information is not collected centrally.
	The flu programme is general practitioner (GP) led. It is the responsibility of the GP to order sufficient flu vaccine for those in at risk groups on his or her register.

Hearing Services

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps her Department has taken to increase the number of trained audiologists;
	(2)  how many audiologists were (a) employed by the NHS and (b) undergoing training in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: As at 30 September 2004, there were 1,582 qualified health care scientists working in audiology in the national health service in England. Prior to 2004, it is not possible to separate staff recorded in the NHS work force census working in audiology from other health care scientists. The numbers undertaking audiology training is shown in the table (these are the only years for which figures are available):
	
		
			  Grade A training for clinical scientists in audiology BSc in audiology(27) Training for audiology technicians Diploma in hearing therapy 
		
		
			 199899 10  0 0 
			 19992000 10  0 0 
			 200001 10  1 0 
			 200102 21  49 1 
			 200203 20  57 52 
			 200304 89  51 0 
			 200405 22 180 33 6 
		
	
	(27) Not separately identified in departmental training information.
	Source:
	Quarterly monitoring.
	A range of initiatives are in place to increase the number of trained audiologists working in the NHS, including the introduction in 200304 of the new BSc in audiology. We are also exploring the introduction of a new assistant practitioner role in audiology, which will help to increase capacity further. Furthermore, we have implemented initiatives to improve recruitment and retention for all staff, including audiologists, by improving pay and conditions, encouraging the NHS to become a better, more flexible and diverse employer, providing help with accessing child care, and running national and local recruitment campaigns.

HIV/AIDS

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were diagnosed as having HIV/AIDS in (a) St Albans, (b) Hertfordshire and (c) England in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: Data on HIV diagnoses are not available by town or by county; they are available by strategic health authority (SHA). The data for Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA and England can be found on the Health Protection Agency's website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hiv_and_sti/hiv/epidemiology/hars_tables.htm.

Home Oxygen Service

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultation took place with (a) general practitioners, (b) pharmacists and (c) patients regarding the quality of products and services supplied by Air Products Ltd and British Oxygen Cylinders before the contract for the new Home Oxygen Service for the South West was awarded in July 2005.

Jane Kennedy: Consultation took place with representatives of clinical staff, including pharmacists, and those representing patients using the home oxygen service to develop the new service specification, which was included with documents issued in October 2004 to all those tendering for the service. Among other things, those submitting tenders included details of the range of equipment offered to support delivery of the new service requirements. Those assessing tenders received for the South West included local clinical and other national health service staff involved in the provision of respiratory care services.

Hospitals (North-West)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings have taken place between the Cheshire and Merseyside strategic health authority and (a) chief executives of trusts and (b) non-executive directors of trusts to discuss possible changes to hospital services in Warrington; and what the date was of each meeting.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 17 January 2006
	The information requested is not held centrally and can instead be obtained direct from the Cheshire and Merseyside strategic health authority.

Hospitals (North-West)

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she last discussed funding for (a) Royal Liverpool University hospital and (b) Royal Liverpool children's hospital at Alder Hey; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 19 January 2006
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 17 November 2005, Official Report, column 1449W. The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University hospitals national health service trust and the Royal Liverpool Children's NHS Trust are still developing their respective outline business cases before submitting them for approval to Cheshire and Merseyside strategic health authority and then the Department.

Independent Sector Treatment

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS-funded (a) operations and (b) imaging scans have been (i) funded and (ii) performed in the independent sector in each of the last seven years, broken down by health authority.

Liam Byrne: Information on the number of procedures performed by centrally procured independent sector schemes from 200304 is shown in the table.
	Information on other independent sector providers commissioned locally is not collected centrally.
	
		Procedures and diagnostics, by strategic health authority (SHA), by financial year figures to 30 November 2005 
		
			  Procedures Diagnostics 
			 SHA 200304 Activity 200405 Activity 200506 Activity 200304 Diags 200405 Diags 200506 Diags 
		
		
			 Dorset and Somerset SHA   2,544
			 Greater Manchester SHA   2,366
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight SHA   861
			 Kent and Medway SHA   110
			 Leicestershire, Northampton and Rutland SHA 1,677 2,106 874
			 North East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire SHA   240
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA   474
			 South West Peninsula SHA   1,856
			 Surrey and Sussex SHA   2,524
			 Thames Valley   454   2,303 
			 Trent SHA  2,345 3,340
			 West Midlands South  183 909
			 West Yorkshire SHA   1,208   6,473 
			
			 National:   
			 Ophthalmic Chain 1,986 10,305 6,989
			 FastTrack 34,027 56,494 
			 Gen Supplementary 1  18,962 7,578
			 Gen Supplementary 2   16,804
			
			 Total 3,663 33,901 49,131 0 34,027 65,270 
			86,695   99,297 
			 Overall   185,992

Independent Sector Treatment

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 March 2005, Official Report, column 271W, on independent sector treatment centres, what the equivalent figures were for 200405.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 20 December 2005
	In 200405, it is estimated that procedures purchased under the independent sector treatment centre programme cost an average 11.2 per cent. above the national health service equivalent cost, using NHS tariff as the base for the equivalent cost calculation. The range and complexity of procedure included in the 200405 calculation differs from those reflected in the 200304 calculation shown in the answer of 16 March 2005, Official Report, column 271W, to my right hon. Friend.

Influenza Vaccine

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the uptake rate for free influenza vaccine has been in each at-risk group in 200506; and what the rate was in each year since 199798.

Caroline Flint: Data on flu vaccine uptake in the over 65 age group were first collected from the start of the flu campaign in 2000 when we introduced the programme to vaccinate the over 65s. Uptake in this group over for the last five years is shown in the table.
	
		Flu uptake, December 2000 to October 2005
		
			 Position at end December: Uptake (%) 
		
		
			 2000 65.3 
			 2001 67.7 
			 2002 68.5 
			 2003 71.0 
			 2004 71.5 
			 October 2005 49 
		
	
	Data on vaccine uptake in those under 65 years of age in a medical risk group have only been collected since 2004. Vaccine uptake data in these groups was 43 per cent. by the end of December 2004.
	Data on vaccine uptake by individual medical risk group were started this year. By the end of October 2005, 25 per cent. of at-risk people under 65 years of age had been vaccinated.
	
		Vaccine uptake in those under 65 years of age within each risk group was:
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 Chronic respiratory disease, including asthma 12 
			 Chronic heart disease 29 
			 Chronic renal disease 21 
			 Chronic liver disease 10 
			 Diabetes 37 
			 Immunosuppression 18

Intensive Care

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 6 December 2005, what data on intensive care units are available to the emergency beds service.

Liam Byrne: The national intensive care bed information service holds information about whether a hospital has facilities to support general intensive and high dependency care. The service also holds information on whether a hospital can provide specialist critical care to treat, for example, serious burn injuries, neurological conditions, serious head injuries, adverse reactions to drugs and poisons, renal failure, liver failure, spinal injuries and other critical conditions. The service holds unvalidated, snapshot management information on the number of intensive care beds reported as staffed; open; occupied and available.

IT Projects

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department has spent on cost overruns on information technology projects in the NHS since 1997.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 11 November 2005
	Funding of information technology projects in the national health service has historically been the responsibility of individual NHS bodies. Before the advent of the national programme for information technology at the beginning of 2003, any funding provided by the Department was given as a contribution to local initiatives, for which business responsibility and overall expenditure control rested with the NHS bodies concerned.
	All the systems being funded and deployed by the Department as part of the national programme are proceeding on budget. No additional costs have been incurred.

Late Payments

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many suppliers have waited longer than 30 days for payment in each year since NHS Professionals was established; and what the amounts of the payments were.

Liam Byrne: NHS Professionals was established on 1 April 2004. In 200405, NHS Professionals paid 97 per cent. of its bills within 30 days or contract terms. 1,092 bills were not paid on time out of a total of 35,698; these bills amounted to a value of 1.9 million in comparison to a total value of 36.6 million.

Mental Health

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2005, Official Report, column 1565W, on antidepressants, if she will provide the information broken down by the following age groups: (a) 0 to 15 years, (b) 16 to 18 years and in full-time education and (c) people aged 60 years and over.

Liam Byrne: Aged-based prescription data is available only for the exemption categories as shown in the following tables. The data refers to the quantity prescribed and the cost to the national health service in England for each antidepressant in 200405. Data is not available for other years.
	
		Table 1: Antidepressant quantities prescribed on the NHS in England 200405 for charge-exempt age categories
		
			  Number of NHS prescriptions in England 200405 
			 Name of antidepressant 015 years 16 to 18 years and in full-time education 60 years and over 
		
		
			 Amitriptyline Embonate 0 0 18 
			 Amitriptyline Hydrochloride 18,284 15,912 2,737,111 
			 Amoxapine 0 0 1,441 
			 Citalopram Hydrobromide 9,627 25,861 1,783,585 
			 Clomipramine Hydrochloride 1,356 945 157,195 
			 Desipramine Hydrochloride 0 0 10 
			 Dosulepin Hydrochloride 2,672 5,607 1,239,658 
			 Doxepin 144 371 77,104 
			 Escitalopram 1,751 6,341 250,768 
			 Fluoxetine Hydrochloride 26,422 40,991 1,163,009 
			 Flupentixol Hydrochloride 480 739 109,057 
			 Fluvoxamine Maleate 533 445 8,703 
			 Imipramine Hydrochloride 10,896 1,392 131,384 
			 Iproniazid 0 0 0 
			 Isocarboxazid 0 0 2,840 
			 Lofepramine Hydrochloride 1,075 2,576 235,138 
			 Maprotiline Hydrochloride 20 81 7,472 
			 Mianserin Hydrochloride 0 0 16,244 
			 Mirtazapine 1,596 3,072 461,135 
			 Moclobemide 20 79 10,426 
			 Nefazodone Hydrochloride 0 0 1,295 
			 Nortriptyline 564 343 85,906 
			 Other Preparations 0 0 0 
			 Oxitriptan 2 0 0 
			 Paroxetine Hydrochloride 2,601 4,290 699,456 
			 Phenelzine Sulphate 20 20 15,556 
			 Protriptyline Hydrochloride 0 0 0 
			 Reboxetine 2 8 539 
			 Sertraline Hydrochloride 10,457 12,395 696,421 
			 Tranylcypromine Sulphate 40 20 11,095 
			 Trazodone Hydrochloride 943 1,373 280,134 
			 Trimipramine Maleate 382 241 100,877 
			 Tryptophan 20 20 1,774 
			 Venlafaxine 2,913 8,037 1,007,590 
			 Total 92,820 131,159 11,292,941 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Costs for antidepressants prescribed in England 200405 for charge-exempt age categories
		
			  Cost of NHS prescriptions in England 200405 () 
			 Name of antidepressant 0 to 15 years 16 to 18 years and in full-time education 60 years and over 
		
		
			 Amitriptyline Embonate 0.00 0.00 79.53 
			 Amitriptyline Hydrochloride 6,473.63 29,724.31 5,043,584.32 
			 Amoxapine 0.00 0.00 19,026.28 
			 Citalopram Hydrobromide 171,030.39 433,873.22 27,890,019.25 
			 Clomipramine Hydrochloride 5,347.53 4,430.61 804,550.83 
			 Desipramine Hydrochloride 0.00 0.00 433.18 
			 Dosulepin Hydrochloride 8,833.79 17,562.96 4,522,827.49 
			 Doxepin 286.83 506.97 158,515.61 
			 Escitalopram 37,252.23 122,835.24 4,608,998.31 
			 Fluoxetine Hydrochloride 204,598.43 202,509.17 4,484,031.00 
			 Flupentixol Hydrochloride 1,027.75 2,036.23 330,810.78 
			 Fluvoxamine Maleate 8,634.24 8,405.73 195,849.62 
			 Imipramine Hydrochloride 29,999.15 4,049.12 378,914.75 
			 Iproniazid 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Isocarboxazid 0.00 0.00 123,693.77 
			 Lofepramine Hydrochloride 11,012.53 24,204.80 2,386,055.58 
			 Maprotiline Hydrochloride 539.72 910.48 56,736.44 
			 Mianserin Hydrochloride 0.00 0.00 121,053.08 
			 Mirtazapine 34,075.57 63,365.45 9,498,218.88 
			 Moclobemide 137.72 959.88 209,039.98 
			 Nefazodone Hydrochloride 0.00 0.00 30,432.85 
			 Nortriptyline 4,779.73 2,964.45 691,438.62 
			 Other Preparations 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Oxitriptan 999.33 0.00 0.00 
			 Paroxetine Hydrochloride 49,834.47 82,321.27 10,282,366.48 
			 Phenelzine Sulphate 717.92 394.89 277,699.67 
			 Protriptyline Hydrochloride 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Reboxetine 47.28 138.06 8,880.03 
			 Sertraline Hydrochloride 271,203.71 300,393.36 14,950,213.87 
			 Tranylcypromine Sulphate 921.88 438.96 148,245.40 
			 Trazodone Hydrochloride 7,587.43 13,773.85 3,311,005.90 
			 Trimipramine Maleate 3,900.29 1,967.10 1,373,059.80 
			 Tryptophan 521.79 4.60 43,975.80 
			 Venlafaxine 99,938.48 264,447.15 33,149,022.21

Methylphenidate

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if her Department will commission research into whether methylphenidate affects children's growth.

Jane Kennedy: It is recognised that stimulants such as methylphenidate can affect weight gain and growth in children following long-term use. The product information, for prescribers and patients or carers, and the British National Formulary contain warnings about this risk and advise that the child's weight and height should be regularly checked throughout treatment.
	A number of studies have been conducted to investigate this issue and these inform current clinical guidance. It is unlikely that additional studies would impact on the current recommendations for regular monitoring and treatment breaks in children who are not gaining weight or growing as expected.

Midwife-led Birthing Centres

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwife-led birthing centres there are in Westmorland and Lonsdale.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 16 January 2006
	The information requested is not collected centrally.

Ministerial Visits

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has plans to visit Coventry, South.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 20 December 2005
	The Secretary of State for Health has no current plans to visit Coventry, South.

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence she has received to support the decision that Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy is a valid syndrome.

Liam Byrne: We no longer use the term Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy to refer to fabricated or induced illness. However, some adults do fabricate illness in their children, or exaggerate their symptoms, or sometimes even induce the illness, for example by poisoning. At least two mothers have received prison sentences after their children died because of illnesses induced by salt poisoning.

National Trauma Service

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the Royal College of Surgeons' proposals for a National Trauma Service in a Level 2 hospital with particular reference to proposals for (a) a 24-hour Accident and Emergency department, (b) a consultant-led resuscitate trauma team, (c) Intensive Care Unit and trauma beds and (d) helicopter landing access; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Department has not made any recent assessment of the Royal College of Surgeons' and the British Orthopaedic Association's joint proposals for a national trauma service, as set out in their July 2000 publication Better care for the severely injured.

NHS Direct

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has (a) to restructure NHS Direct and (b) to close NHS Direct call centres; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: NHS Direct is within the ambit of the Department's review of arm's length bodies (ALBs), announced in July 2004 by the Secretary of State. As part of the review we are committed to work with NHS Direct to establish it as a body outside the ALB sector with an appropriate governance structure.
	There are no plans to close or reconfigure NHS Direct call centres as part of that review. However, the NHS Direct Special Health Authority is responsible for delivering the best possible service for patients and value for money for commissioners. Discharging this duty may from time to time involve reconfiguring the call centre network. Where NHS Direct considers any such changes necessary, its proposals would be subject to the normal consultation with staff, trade unions, commissioners and other stakeholders. The Department does not routinely hold details of these operational matters and my hon. Friend may wish to contact the chair of the NHS Direct Special Health Authority for further information.

NHS Finance Data

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written statement of 1 December 2005, Official Report, column 37WS, on NHS finance data, what discussions she has had with Monitor regarding the publication of the year-end forecasts for NHS foundation trusts.

Liam Byrne: National health service foundation trusts (NHSFTs) are required by statute to submit forward planning information to Monitor, the statutory name of which is the independent regulator of NHSFTs, who is accountable to Parliament. I have been advised by the chairman of Monitor that the annual plans for 200506 for each of the 32 NHSFTs were submitted to Monitor earlier this year and are publicly available on Monitor's website at: www.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk

NHS Sites

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the estimated 100 surplus NHS sites announced by her Department on 7 April 2004 have been transferred to the responsibility of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Jane Kennedy: As part of an agreement between the Department and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, ownership of 67 surplus properties owned by the Secretary of State for Health transferred to English Partnerships on 6 April 2005. A further 14 are programmed to transfer by 31 March 2006 with the balance in 200607.

NHS Trusts (Mergers)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she takes into account when deciding whether to approve mergers of NHS trusts; and by whom that information is provided.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 16 January 2006
	Strategic health authorities (SHAs) are responsible for putting proposals to Ministers on merging national health service trusts. Before they do so, SHAs must be satisfied that any reconfiguration and resulting service integration proposals within an area fit with the longer-term viability of the NHS trust. This will include ensuring a robust risk analysis around activity, costs and income is consistent with the direction of modern health care delivery. This will incorporate the reduction of health inequalities, be clinically led and supported and be subject to full statutory public consultation.

NHS Turnaround Teams

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much her Department has spent to date on NHS turnaround teams in each NHS trust; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how much money contained in the departmental budget reflected by the latest departmental winter supplementary estimate 200506 will be allocated for financial turnaround teams working with NHS trusts; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 19 January 2006
	The winter supplementary estimates for the Department were presented to Parliament on 17 November 2005 as part of the central government supply estimates procedures. The estimate did not specifically refer to financial turnaround teams. Planned expenditure for these teams is part of this expenditure.
	The contract for the initial assessment part of the turnaround teamwork was for the complete assessment and was not broken down by organisation. The amount of the contract is to be treated as commercial in confidence.

NHS-funded Operations

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS-funded operations have been commissioned from the private healthcare sector in the last five years for patients living in (a) Leeds, (b) each strategic health authority area and (c) England, broken down by specialty.

Liam Byrne: Information on the number of operations commissioned centrally from the independent sector for national health service patients nationally and by strategic health authority is shown in the table. Information is not available by area of residence or relating to operations commissioned locally.
	
		
			   Program name   Strategic health authority   Specialties Total procedures over contract period 
		
		
			 East Cornwall South West Peninsula General Surgery, Urology, Trauma and orthopaedics, ENT, Oral surgery, General medicine, Gastroenterology, Cardiology, Dermatology, Thoracic medicine, Rheumatology, Paediatrics, Gynaecology, Dietetics, Physio assessment, Ophthalmology, Plastic Surgery 26,767 
			 
			 East Lincs Trent Ophthalmology, urology, hernias, varicose veins, colonoscopies and minor skin 7,263 
			 
			 West Lincs Trent Ophthalmology, gastroscopies, colonoscopies, orthopaedic, urology and minor skin 6,365 
			 
			 North Oxford (Horton) Thames Valley Orthopaedics 11,197 
			 
			 NEYNL North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire General Surgery, Trauma and orthopaedics 9,964 
			 
			 Southampton Hampshire and Isle of Wight Orthopaedics 11,468 
			 
			 Northumberland Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Upper scopes, hernias, varicose veins, minor skin 10,080 
			 
			 TV3500 Thames Valley General Surgery, Urology, Trauma and orthopaedics, Dermatology, Gynaecology 5,735 
			   Orthopaedics 3,345 
			   General Surgery, Urology, Trauma and orthopaedics, Dermatology, Gynaecology 8,337 
			 
			 GC4 West Surrey (tba) Surrey and Sussex Orthopaedics 0 
			 Kidderminster West Midlands South Orthopaedics 9,000 
			 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside Cheshire and Merseyside Orthopaedics 24,817 
			 
			 Nottingham Trent Orthopaedic, Gynaecology, General surgical, Dermatology, Endoscopies, Oral Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Chronic Pain 110,700 
			 
			 Maidstone Kent and Medway Chemotherapy, minor surgery and endoscopes 55,589 
			 
			 Outer North East London (BHRT) North East London Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, ENT, Oral, General Surgery, Urology 56,043 
			 
			 Brighton Surrey and Sussex Orthopaedics 26,451 
			 
			 Medway Kent and Medway General Surgery, Gastroenterology, ENT, Orthopaedics, Urology, Diagnosticsendoscopy only 19,770 
			 
			 Portsmouth Hampshire and Isle of Wight Walk in centre/minor injuries unit, day surgery, diagnostics, ophthalmology 34,155 
			 
			 Lister Surgical centre Beds and Herts Paed, paed ENT, endoscope, urology, ophthalmology, gynaecology and other specialities 72,477 
			 
			 Hemel Hampstead Surgi centre Beds and Herts Paed, paed ENT, endoscope, urology, ophthalmology, gynaecology and other specialities 63,636 
			 
			 Bradford West Yorkshire General Surgery, Gastroenterology, ENT, Gynae, Ophthalmics, Orthopaedics, Plastics, Urology, Oral Surgery, Ultrasound scansgeneral, Ultrasound scansdoppler, CT scans, MRI scans, Plain films and x-rays, Fluoroscopy 27,416 
			 
			 Burton Shropshire and Staffordshire General Surgery, ENT, Gynaecology, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Plastics, Urology, Oral Surgery, Rheumatology, Pain procedures, Ophthalmology 64,814 
			 
			 Trent and South Yorkshire Trent Orthopaedics 22,000 
			 
			 Daventry Leicestershire, Northampton and Rutland Ophthalmology, Upper GI endoscopies, Sigmoidscopy, Orthopaedics, Dermatology, Urology 5,959 
			 
			 Shepton Mallet Dorset and Somerset Orthopaedics, ophthalmology, general surgery and endoscopy 56,242 
			 
			 Greater Manchester Greater Manchester Orthopaedic, general surgery and ENT 44,863 
			 
			 Plymouth South West Peninsula Orthopaedics 16,512 
			 
			 
			 Ophthalmic Chain Cheshire and Merseyside; Cumbria and Lancashire; Dorset and Somerset; Hampshire and Isle of Wight; Kent and Medway; Northumberland, Tyne and Wear; South West Peninsula; Surrey and Sussex; Thames Valley Ophthalmology 44,737 
			 
			 
			 GSUP1 n/a Orthopaedic, ophthalmic, general surgery, ENT, plastic surgery 26,698 
			 
			 GSUP2 n/a Orthopaedic, general surgery 12,167 
			 
			 England total   894,567

NICE Guidance

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the consequences of a general review of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's Clinical Guideline on the management of schizophrenia on the availability of atypical anti-psychotics drugs.

Rosie Winterton: No assessment has been made of the review by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on managing schizophrenia with atypical antipsychotic medicines.

Obesity (Westmorland and Lonsdale)

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Westmorland and Lonsdale aged (a) under 20, (b) 20 to 29, (c) 30 to 39, (d) 40 to 50 and (e) over 50 years are estimated to be clinically obese.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 17 January 2006
	The information is not available in the format requested. However, national data is shown in the table.
	
		Prevalence of adults aged 16 and over who have a body mass index (BMI) over 30, by sex and age range (England, 2004) -- Percentage
		
			 Sex Men Women 
		
		
			 1624 7.9 12.2 
			 2534 17.9 17.9 
			 3544 25.2 23.6 
			 4554 29.6 25.8 
			 5564 30.1 32.2 
			 6574 27.8 28.2 
			 75+ 19 20.3 
			 Total 22.7 23.8 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The figures are based on weighted data.
	2. The main source of data on the prevalence of obesity is the Health Survey for England (HSE). The sample size of the Health Survey does not allow figures to be produced to the level of parliamentary constituencies. For adults (aged 16 and over) figures are presented for England and Government office regions (GOR). Information is provided for the GOR which covers Westmorland and Lonsdale. For children (aged two to 15) national figures are presented using the national BMI percentile classification.
	3. The data presented are the most recent available. The available information is presented in this table, using the results of the HSE for 2002, 2003 and 2004. The method in which overweight and obesity is calculated is different for adults and for children (see background notes 3 and 4 for details).
	4. We are not able to identify how many people are estimated to be clinically obese, but are able to supply an estimate of the prevalence of obesity among children aged two to 15 and adults aged 16 and over.
	Source:
	Health Survey for England 2004: The Health of Minority Ethnic Groups, NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Older Persons (Care Charges)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average percentage change in charges for older persons' care proposed for 200607, in each local authority is; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what the proposed changes in personnel employed in social services departments are for 200607, in each local authority;
	(3)  what plans she has to discuss (a) increases in care charges and (b) job reductions in social services with local authorities.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 18 January 2006
	Residential care charges are governed by a statutory system, under the National Assistance (Assessment of Resources) Regulations 1992 and the Charges for Residential Accommodation Guide. Copies are available in the Library. Charges for non-residential social care are set by local councils, but councils must be guided by Fairer Charging Policies for Home Care and other non-residential social services-Guidance for Councils with Social Services Responsibilities. A copy is available in the Library.
	The level of charges for non-residential care and the numbers of people employed are matters for local determination rather than by central Government. Information on the amount by which charges are increased and information on job reductions in social services departments is not held centrally.

Osteoporosis

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how her Department plans to monitor the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinic Excellence guidance on the secondary prevention of osteoporotic fractures.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 31 October 2005
	The Department does not monitor implementation of guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinic Excellence (NICE).
	NICE will be tracking the implementation of the guidance once it is published and using the information obtained to inform the development of future tools and resources and ensure the guidance achieves positive and sustainable changes.

Outpatient Waiting Lists

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department issues on the compilation of outpatient waiting lists.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 12 January 2006
	The Department issued Getting patients treated: the Waiting List Action Team Handbooks August 1999, which gives practical guidance on managing and recording waiting lists. It makes clear that clinical priority must be the main determinant of when patients are seen. The handbook is available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/05/11/03/04051103.pdf.

Paediatric Continence Services

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions her Department has had with the Department for Education and Skills on providing hygienic and well maintained toilets for pupils.

Caroline Flint: The Department and the Department for Education and Skills meet regularly to discuss matters to do with the health and well-being of schoolchildren such as through the Healthy Schools Programme Board.
	The provision of hygienic and well maintained toilets for pupils is a matter for individual heads of schools and local authorities.

Parliamentary Questions

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will reply to Questions (a) 23665 and (b) 21605, on independent sector treatment centres.

Liam Byrne: I refer my hon. Friend to the replies I gave her on 29 November 2005, Official Report, column 404W, and on 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 160W.

Parliamentary Questions

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will reply to the question tabled by the hon. Member for Wakefield on 8 November, reference 27398, on NHS bursaries.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 8 December 2005
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave her on 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 173W.

Pathology Departments

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of total sample processing time was spent on (a) administrative procedures and (b) chemical analysis in clinical biochemistry and haematology laboratories within pathology departments in the last year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not collect this information. However, we recognise the importance of pathology to patient care and we have asked Lord Carter of Coles to conduct an independent review of pathology services. Its terms of reference are
	to advise Ministers, in the context of current resource constraints, on the timeliness, reliability, capacity and efficiency of current pathology services in England, benchmarked against international standards and the feasibility of and efficiency benefits arising from wide-scale service reconfiguration, innovation and modernisation and involvement of the private sector.
	The review will consider the workings of pathology laboratories in all disciplines.

Patient and Public Involvement Resource Centre

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the performance and effectiveness of the patient and public involvement resource centre will be (a) managed and (b) evaluated; and who has operational responsibility for the resource centre.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 16 January 2006
	The Department is looking for a supplier to design, develop and have operational responsibility for a new centre to support the delivery of patient and public involvement in the health care delivery system. The procurement process is on-going and until it is complete we are unable to name the provider.
	The NHS Institute for Improvement and Innovation will be responsible for managing and evaluating the performance and effectiveness of the centre.

Patient and Public Involvement Resource Centre

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the patient and public involvement resource centre cost to set up; and what the budget for the resource centre will be in each of the next three years.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 16 January 2006
	The Department is currently in the process of procuring a supplier to design, develop and deliver a new centre to support the delivery of patient and public involvement in health care.
	As we are in the middle of this procurement process the budget is commercially sensitive.

Patient and Public Involvement Resource Centre

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether a policy paper on patient and public involvement in health has been produced by the Having Your Say taskforce chaired by Ed Mayo.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 16 January 2006
	The having my say taskforce has submitted a report on improving public involvement in health and social care. We will set out our plans shortly in a White Paper on a new direction for community health and social care and publish the having my say taskforce report on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk.

Practice-based Commissioning

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the transaction costs involved in allowing general practitioners to negotiate and hold individual contracts with providers under practice-based commissioning arrangements.

Liam Byrne: Under the proposals for practice-based commissioning, negotiating and holding individual contracts with providers will remain the responsibility of primary care trusts. There will not, therefore, be an increase in transaction costs associated with contracting with providers under practice-based commissioning.

Practice-based Commissioning

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she plans to permit general practitioners holding commissioning budgets under proposals for practice-based commissioning to pool their budgets for the purpose of collective commissioning of services.

Liam Byrne: Under practice-based commissioning participating general practitioner practices will be permitted to pool their indicative budgets for the purpose of collective commissioning of services. This subject is covered in paragraph 25 of the publication Practice Based Commissioningpromoting clinical engagement which is available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/09/85/65/04098565.pdf.

Pregnancy-related Deaths

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2005, Official Report, column 1199W, on pregnancy-related deaths, if she will break down the figures by primary care trust for each year for which this information is available.

Liam Byrne: This information is not available centrally. The data provided previously were taken from the confidential inquiry into maternal deaths, which collects information relating to women dying from pregnancy-related conditions. The data are anonymised with no address details available.

Prisons

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the development of prison health care services.

Rosie Winterton: Prison health, the joint Home Office and Department of Health unit, has been working since 2000 to improve health care provision for prisoners. It has led and managed a work programme to modernise services, step up national health service engagement and improve performance monitoring. Key achievements include developing better mental health provision, including NHS-funded mental health in-reach teams. Nearly 20 million is being spent on mental health provision in 200506. 102 prisons have mental health in-reach teams with some 360 extra staff employed. Prison health has also supported improvements in primary care services; developed the prison health workforce and improved the prison health estate.
	Funding responsibility for primary healthcare services in the publicly run prisons in England and Wales was transferred in April 2003 from the Home Office to the Department. The NHS primary care trusts started to assume responsibility for the commissioning of prison health services in public prisons in England in April 2004 and will assume full responsibility in April 2006. 118 million was transferred for prison healthcare for 200203: the amount allocated for 200506 is nearly 176 million.
	Prison health is now engaged in a further programme to improve health and social care for prisoners. This includes improving the transfer process so that those whose mental ill health means that they require hospital treatment can be moved more quickly. It also includes the development of an integrated drug treatment system; the inclusion of offenders in relevant departmental initiatives; further improving workforce provision, developing a modern prison information technology system which aids the flow of information about prisoners' healthcare on admission, transfer or release, and the further improvement of the healthcare estate.
	All of these measures will help us to meet our aim that prisoners receive a similar level of service from the NHS as that received by the general public.

Private Finance Initiative

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 July 2005, Official Report, columns 98899W, on the private finance initiative (PFI), what the amount of surcharges paid to PFI contractors was in each year to date.

Liam Byrne: The payment mechanism in a private finance initiative contract contains a volume element under which the quantity of variable items such as meals or linen provided is directly related to the throughput of patients, so where the volume of services is above those initially stated in the private finance initiative contract, trusts will make additional payments.
	Detailed information on service volumes from all of the private finance initiative contracts signed to date, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Private Sector Treatment Centres

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid from NHS funds to private sector treatment centres in 200405; and what the estimate is for (a) 200506, (b) 200607 and (c) 200708.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 15 December 2005
	Expenditure on wave 1 of the centrally procured independent sector elective treatment programme for the year 200405 and estimates for the years to 200708 are shown in the table.
	
		Expenditure on wave 1 of the centrally procured independent sector elective treatment programme
		
			   million 
		
		
			 200405 78.8 
			 200506 103.5 
			 200607 210 
			 200708 263 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures for 200506, 200607 and 200708 are estimated.
	In addition, the Department is currently in the process of procuring a second wave of independent sector elective provision.
	Expenditure on locally procured independent sector elective provision is not separately identified from the annual financial returns of national health service trusts, primary care trusts and health authorities.

Rehabilitation Officers

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many rehabilitation officers for blind and partially-sighted people are employed by each London borough; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not held centrally.

Severalls Hospital Site

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date the former Severalls hospital site in Colchester was transferred to the responsibility of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Jane Kennedy: As part of an agreement between the Department and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, ownership of that part of the Severalls hospital site owned by the Secretary of State for Health was transferred to the ownership of English Partnerships on 6 April 2005.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to ensure that the prevention, detection and treatment of (a) sexually transmitted diseases and (b) HIV/AIDS is a priority for commissioners in the NHS;
	(2)  what arrangements she has made to audit (a) planned and (b) actual spending on the prevention, detection and treatment of (i) sexually transmitted diseases and (ii) HIV/AIDS.

Caroline Flint: Sexual health was identified as a key priority in the public health White Paper, 'Choosing Health', backed by major new investment of 300 million over three years and improved performance management to ensure delivery at local level.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) will receive funding for implementing the targets in the 'Choosing Health' White Paper in their mainstream allocations. Rather than audit PCT spending, we will be monitoring the outcomes from this investment. In particular, the progress towards targets to reduce the level of new infections of gonorrhoea, as a marker for all sexually transmitted infections, to ensure patients have access to genito-urinary medicine clinics within 48 hours by 2008 and numbers of screens undertaken in the chlamydia screening programme. These improved performance measures, should significantly strengthen the incentive for local investment and service modernisation.
	In addition, a letter has been sent by the Department to strategic health authority chief executives highlighting that when considering any savings from implementing 'Commissioning a patient led NHS', savings should not be identified from those posts working on implementation of 'Choosing Health'. This includes posts in front-line services.

Smoking

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the likely effect on the numbers of people who smoke of banning the sale of tobacco in pubs and clubs.

Caroline Flint: The Government have not made an assessment of the likely effect on the numbers of people who smoke of banning the sale of tobacco in pubs and clubs.

Strategic Health Authorities (Consultants)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy that senior officers of strategic health authorities who (a) take voluntary redundancy and (b) retire from the authority may not subsequently return to the authority's employment as consultants.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 17 January 2006
	The Department would not expect senior managers who are made redundant from strategic health authorities (SHAs) to return to the authority's employment as consultants. SHAs are responsible for local employment decisions.

Urosotomy Prescriptions

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what improvements are being made to the provision of treatment for urosotomy patients.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 18 January 2006
	The national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions is concerned with improving health and social care services for people with long-term conditions. The Department also published Supporting People with Long-Term Conditions-An NHS and Social Care Model to support innovation and integration on 5 January 2005. The purpose of the model is to improve the health and quality of life of people with a long-term condition, such as urostomy, by providing personalised, yet systematic ongoing support.

vCJD Trust

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the vCJD Trust's budget has been allocated to legal and professional fees since the Trust was established; and how much has been allocated for such fees in the next financial year.

Caroline Flint: The variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) Trust's published annual report and accounts include full details of legal and professional costs.
	The report and accounts are available on the vCJD Trust's website at: www.cjdtrust.co.uk/
	The vCJD Trust has, to date, paid 7.4 million for legal and professional fees. These include legal fees for solicitors acting for the trust and for claimants, trustees' expenses and fees, medical experts and accountants' fees, taxation, and other disbursements.
	The total sums managed by the vCJD Trust in its main and discretionary funds amount to 67.5 million.
	The vCJD Trust does not allocate a proportion of the annual budget for fees or expenses in advance.

Waiting Times

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) mean and (b) median waiting time for a first out-patient appointment has been in each year since 199798.

Liam Byrne: Estimated mean and median waiting times for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant following general practitioner referral are shown in the table.
	
		Estimated mean and median out-patient waiting times (in weeks)
		
			  Median Mean 
		
		
			 March 1998 6.4 9.5 
			 March 1999 7.0 10.5 
			 March 2000 7.7 11.7 
			 March 2001 7.5 10.9 
			 March 2002 7.6 11.1 
			 March 2003 7.4 9.0 
			 March 2004 7.1 8.5 
			 March 2005 7.0 7.5 
			 September 2005 6.8 7.2 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health, QM08R return

Waiting Times

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total number of patients admitted onto the in-patient waiting list has been in each year since 199798.

Liam Byrne: The data is shown in the table. A key factor in the number of decisions to admit is the increase in the number of patients dealt with in an out-patient setting rather than through in-patient admission.
	
		Number of decisions to admit, all specialties, England, 1997 to 2005
		
			  Decisions to admit 
		
		
			 199798 n/a 
			 199899 4,189,323 
			 19992000 4,159,078 
			 200001 3,935,930 
			 200102 3,781,437 
			 200203 3,778,390 
			 200304 3,802,744 
			 200405 3,787,713 
		
	
	Note:
	Data was not collected in 199798.
	Source:
	Department of Health form KH06

Waiting Times

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had been waiting more than six months for an NHS operation on 1 December.

Liam Byrne: At the end of November 2005, 12,269 people had been waiting more than six months for a national health service operation according to monthly commissioner-based data. We remain confident that our year end target of a maximum waiting time of six months will have been met.

Women's Health Services

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts offer women suffering from (a) uterine fibroids and (b) menorrhagia alternative treatment options to hysterectomy which include (i) uterine fibroid embolisation, (ii) endometrial ablation, (iii) myomectomy and (iv) myolysis.

Liam Byrne: Information broken down by primary care trusts is not available due to instances of small numbers for these gynaecological treatments. Data from hospital episode statistics (HES) giving counts of admissions to national health service hospitals are shown in the tables.
	For women admitted into hospital in England in 200304 with a primary diagnosis of fibroids.
	
		
			 Treatment provided Numbers of women 
		
		
			 Hysterectomy Less than 10 
			   
			 Uterine fibroid embolisation 350 
			 Ablation 2,400 
			 Myomectomy 1,500 
			 Myolysis Not available 
		
	
	For women admitted into hospital with a primary diagnosis of menorrhagia.
	
		
			 Treatment provided Numbers of women 
		
		
			 Hysterectomy Less than 10 
			   
			 Uterine fibroid embolisation 15 
			 Ablation 5,300 
			 Myomectomy 60 
			 Myolysis Not available

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Bed-and-breakfast Accommodation (London)

Greg Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many 16 to 18-year-olds are living in bed and breakfast accommodation in each London borough.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Carbon Emissions

Gregory Barker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which unit within his Department is responsible for reducing carbon emissions.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) has a range of policy responsibilitiesincluding planning, building regulations, housing and local governmentthat have a role to play in reducing carbon emissions. The ODPM's Corporate Strategy and Resources Group is responsible for co-ordinating the ODPM's contribution towards tackling climate change.

Commercial Planning

James McGovern: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will issue planning guidance for new commercial premises to ensure that the secure transfer of cash to and from cash-in-transit carriers at banks, shopping centres, supermarkets and cash machines is taken into account.

Yvette Cooper: Planning Policy Statement 1: Delivering Sustainable Development (PPS1), published in 2005, sets the planning policy context for England. It places strong emphasis on the role of planning in helping to reduce crime. Planning authorities are asked to have robust policies which address crime prevention issues in their development plans. Crime prevention is also capable of being a material planning consideration in the consideration of planning applications.
	The Government have also published Safer Places: The Planning System and Crime Prevention which provides detailed advice on the layout of all buildings and spaces to reduce the risk of crime, including, where appropriate, the incorporation of target hardening measures such CCTV in new development. The guidance urges planners, designers and crime prevention practitioners/police to work together to develop solutions from an early stage in the design process.
	Planning policy in Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Executive. I understand the Scottish Executive will be publishing a planning advisory note on designing safer places shortly.

Council Tax Revaluation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list representations the Government have received from retailers, including DIY stores, in relation to the council tax revaluation in the last two years.

Phil Woolas: Two representations have been identified from retailers, both from BQ plc, received by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in relation to council tax revaluation in the last two years.

Design for Manufacture Competition

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the location of each site in the Design for Manufacture competition, and the estimated number of (a) commercial and (b) affordable households to be constructed at each site in relation to the competition.

Yvette Cooper: pursuant to the reply, 18 October 2005, Official Report, c. 876W
	I regret that the answer contained incorrect information in relation to the number of affordable dwellings that are anticipated to be built at the former Rowan High School site in the London borough of Merton as a result of the Design for Manufacture competition. The correct answer to the question should be as follows.
	There is no significant commercial property to be developed on the 10 Design for Manufacture Competition sites, other than incidental corner shops and community facilities that will be subject to detailed planning approval. These will be detailed during the next stage as the proposals for each individual site go through the planning process.
	The number of homes on each site is as follows:
	Oxley Park, Milton Keynes, Phase 2 site. Total of 145 homes, of which 43 are anticipated to be affordable housing.
	Oxford Road, Former Territorial Army Centre, Aylesbury Vale. Total of 100 homes, of which 30 are anticipated to be affordable housing.
	Upton, Northampton, Site D2. Total of 165 homes, of which 36 are anticipated to be affordable housing.
	Allerton Bywater Millennium Community, Leeds, Yorkshire. Total of 150 homes, of which 30 are anticipated to be affordable.
	School Road, Hastings. Total of 12 homes, with affordable housing level to be determined.
	Horns Cross, Stone, Dartford. Total of 37 homes, of which 11 are anticipated to be affordable housing.
	Former Rowan High School site, Merton, London. Total of 180 homes, of which 54 are anticipated to be affordable housing.
	Former Renny Lodge Hospital, London Road, Newport Pagnell, Bucks. Total of 60 homes, of which 20 are anticipated to be affordable housing.
	Former Park Prewett Hospital, Kingsclere Road, Basingstoke. Total of 137 homes, of which 47 are anticipated to be affordable housing.
	Former Linton Hospital site, Maidstone. Total of 123 homes, of which 43 are anticipated to be affordable housing.

Fire Alarms

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with fire authorities about the provision of fire alarms in (a) park home properties, (b) residential homes and (c) homes in multiple occupation; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There has been wide ranging consultation with relevant stakeholders, including fire and rescue authorities, on fire safety in park homes, residential care homes, and houses in multiple occupation. Formal consultation has taken place on the Housing Health and Safety Rating System which covers fire hazards in all dwellings, and requirements on fire safety in licensed houses in multiple occupation under the Housing Act 2004. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has also consulted extensively on the Fire Safety Order 2005 and forthcoming guidance, which covers the common areas in which park homes are located, residential care homes, and the common parts of houses in multiple occupation. There has been similar consultation on the proposed revision to Approved Document B (Fire Safety) to the Building Regulations which covers all new buildings and material alterations to existing buildings.

Fire Alarms

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of the premises occupied by his Department is fitted with audible fire alarms.

Jim Fitzpatrick: With the exception of the Fire Experimental Unit Still-Air Testing Facility at Little Rissington, where such a system would be inappropriate, all of the premises occupied by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are fitted with audible fire alarms.
	This answer does not include buildings occupied by Government Offices, who carry out functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments.

Fuel Storage Depots

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what guidelines exist for the siting of fuel storage depots near residential areas;
	(2)  what the minimum distance required is between fuel storage depots and housing;
	(3)  which Government agency is responsible for ensuring that fuel storage depots are operated and maintained safely.

Yvette Cooper: Decisions on proposals for development are taken by a local planning authority in accordance with its development plan. Essentially, this comprises the regional spatial strategy prepared by the regional planning body and local development documents prepared by the local planning authority.
	The Town and Country Planning (Regional Planning) (England) Regulations 2004 (SI No 2203) and the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004 (SI No 2204) specify the form and content of regional spatial strategies and development plan documents. These make clear that in preparing their plans the planning bodies are required to have regard to the objectives of preventing major accidents and of limiting the consequences of such accidents; and to have regard to the need, in the long term, to maintain appropriate distances between establishments where dangerous substances are present and residential areas.
	Guidance issued in Planning Policy Statement 12 on Local Development Frameworks makes clear that, in preparing or reviewing local development documents, local planning authorities need to ensure that they include a policy or policies relating to the location of establishments where hazardous substances are used or stored, and to the development of land within the vicinity of establishments where hazardous substances are present.
	Article 10 of The Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995 requires local planning authorities to consult with the Health and Safety Executive when residential development is proposed within an area that has been notified to the local planning authority by the Health and Safety Executive because of the presence of hazardous substances within the vicinity. They must also consult with the Health and Safety Executive about development involving the siting of new establishments where hazardous substances will be present.
	There is no specified minimum distance that has to be maintained between a fuel storage depot and housing. The decision on whether any proposed development should be permitted to take place within the vicinity of a fuel storage depot is a matter for the local planning authority, taking advice from the Health and Safety Executive on the suitability of the development with regard to the potential off-site risk so that those risks can be given due weight when balanced against other relevant planning considerations.
	Primary responsibility for the safe operation and maintenance of fuel storage depots rests with those who operate the site. The relevant regulatory agency for such operators and sites will depend on the quantity of fuel stored. The Health and Safety and the relevant Environment Agency together form a joint competent authority for such regulation at large scale fuel storage depots within the scope of the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations 1999. For smaller sites not covered by COMAH, Health and Safety Executive is the relevant regulator.

High Hedges

Lynne Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he has issued on the circumstances in which (a) Leyland cypress and (b) other evergreen species may be reduced by more than one-third under high hedges legislation; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The circumstances in which Leyland cypress and other evergreen species may be reduced by more than one-third will vary according to species, and also depends on the age and health of the trees or shrubs in question and how they have been maintained in the past. As a result, the guidance issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in relation to the high hedges legislation advises local authorities to obtain arboricultural advice when specifying action to be taken in relation to the hedge in order to remedy any adverse effect that it is causing.

High Hedges

Lynne Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will issue guidance to local authorities to clarify (a) how far a hedge can be reduced before it is destroyed and (b) that the example of reducing a hedge by one-third is not a stipulation that only one-third of a hedge can safely be trimmed.

Yvette Cooper: Guidance on how far a hedge can be reduced before it is destroyed is available on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website under Frequently Asked Questions on High Hedges at: www.odpm.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1127837#P155_26271. It indicates these are matters of professional judgment, to be made in the light of the particular circumstances.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will shortly be expanding the Frequently Asked Questions on High Hedges to clarify that the guidance document High Hedges Complaints: Prevention and Cure does not stipulate that only one-third of a hedge can be safely trimmed.

Housing

Tim Farron: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many affordable homes have been provided by housing associations in Cumbria in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The number of affordable housing units completed in Cumbria by housing associations funded through the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme for each year since 1997 are shown as follows:
	
		
			  Units 
		
		
			 199798 143 
			 199899 251 
			 19992000 207 
			 200001 193 
			 200102 116 
			 200203 137 
			 200304 114 
			 200405 107

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what items of information about property will be contained in a home condition report.

Yvette Cooper: The home condition report is an objective report on the physical condition of a property, including an energy performance certificate complying with the European Union (EU) Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings. It is one of the documents required to be provided in a home information pack, which also contains local search information, including whether or not the property is on the local authority's contaminated land register. The pack will also contain legal information about the property, such as evidence of title and leasehold information, and forms relating to contents and terms of sale.
	The purpose of the home condition report is to provide the buyer, seller and mortgage lender with reliable information about the condition and energy performance of a home.
	A home condition report must comply with requirements to be set out in regulations. It is intended that a home condition report will contain the home inspector's record of the following information about a property, as set out in the draft Home Information Pack Regulations, published on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website:
	The property address, the year of construction (or an estimate), and the number of storeys and rooms in the property.
	The provision of parking.
	The utility services connected to the property, and the condition of visible parts of these.
	For flats/maisonettes, the number of storeys and other flats within the building, whether there is a lift, and the condition of the building and common areas.
	Health and safety risks identified.
	The condition of the outside and inside parts of the property and any outbuildings.
	The energy performance of the property.
	Whether there were any parts of the property not accessible for inspection.
	The draft regulations also provide that the home condition report must not include anything which would identify or express an opinion on an individual, or any information about security features of a property.

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which organisations will have access to the register of home condition reports.

Yvette Cooper: The Housing Act 2004 requires that access to the information stored in the register of home condition reports is controlled by regulations. The Government is currently considering which organisations and/or individuals should be given access to the information held in the home condition report register, and will take account of the views of stakeholders before making a final decision.

Housing

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many house repossessions were made in each of the last five years in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Kingston and Surbiton.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth (Mr. Jenkins) on 20 January 2006.

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the change will be in the amount charged in rent under the housing subsidy determinations for 200607; and how much of this will be retained by the Government.

Yvette Cooper: Rent setting is a matter for individual landlords.
	Actual rents are forecast to rise by an average 4.7 per cent. in England, with the average for any individual authority constrained by a 5 per cent. cap.
	Rental income is not retained by the Government.

Mobile Phone Masts

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2005, Official Report, column 2836W, on mobile phone masts, if he will place in the Library the figures for the number of communication stations registered for business rates in England in each local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: A table with the break down, of the 20,930 hereditaments shown in the Rating List at 31 March 2005 has been made available in the Library of the House.

Official Residences (Council Tax)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 12 January 2006, Official Report, columns 7823W, on official residences (council tax), whether the sum he has repaid for outstanding council tax includes interest on the money owed; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The payments that my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister is making to Westminster City Council are entirely voluntary and he has no legal obligation to make them. There is no need for my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister to add interest to them.

Ordnance Survey

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many aerial photographs Ordnance Survey (a) took and (b) purchased from external suppliers in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of aerial photographs captured by Ordnance Survey and purchased from external suppliers in each of the last five financial years is as follows.
	
		
			  Ordnance survey External suppliers 
		
		
			 200102 29,420 0 
			 200203 39,842 72,591 
			 200304 54,678 103,616 
			 200405 30,023 45,297 
			 200506 to date 40,224 108,619

Overcrowding

Sally Keeble: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to consult on new standards for overcrowding in housing.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is still considering options for reviewing the statutory standards and will take a decision on the timing of consultation as soon as possible.

Overhead Power Lines (Kent)

Howard Stoate: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the (a) cost and (b) feasibility of undergrounding overhead power lines in Kent Thameside as part of the on-going regeneration of the area.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is taking forward its programme of regeneration with local partners, including private developers. To date, this issue has not emerged as a major barrier to regenerating the area. Therefore, there is no current feasibility work under way looking at undergrounding overhead power lines in North Kent.
	Developers should work with local authorities and other relevant bodies at an early stage in the planning process to find sustainable and, where appropriate, innovative solutions towards creating positive and high quality environments.

Park Homes

Roger Williams: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many park homes are registered in (a) Band A, (b) Band B, (c) Band C, (d) Band D, (e) Band E, (f) Band F, (g) Band G and (h) Band H for council tax purposes.

Yvette Cooper: Information on the number of park homes in England in each council tax band is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Council tax in Wales is the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly Government.

Private Garden Development

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) total area of privately-owned gardens in each London borough that has been developed in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Land Use Change Statistics record the amounts of residential land developed but do not record whether it was privately owned or how much of the land was occupied by any garden.

Repossessions

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many repossessions were made in each of the last 10 years in (a) England and (b) Tamworth constituency.

Yvette Cooper: Information on mortgage possessions is only available for the United Kingdom as a whole and is collected by the Council of Mortgage Lenders. The figures in the table include properties that are surrendered voluntarily.
	
		
			  Mortgages at end of period Properties taken into possession 
			  Number Number % all loans 
		
		
			 1995 10,521,000 49,410 0.47 
			 1996 10,637,000 42,560 0.40 
			 1997 10,738,000 32,770 0.31 
			 1998 10,821,000 33,870 0.31 
			 1999 10,982,000 29,990 0.27 
			 2000 11,173,000 22,870 0.20 
			 2001 11,247,000 18,280 0.16 
			 2002 11,364,000 11,970 0.11 
			 2003 11,452,000 7,830 0.07 
			 2004 11,512,000 6,230 0.05 
			 2005 January-June 11,550,000 4,640 0.04 
		
	
	Source:
	Council of Mortgage Lenders

Right To Buy (Houghton and Washington)

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of the council housing stock of (a) houses and (b) flats has been sold under the Right to Buy scheme in Houghton and Washington East constituency since 1980.

Yvette Cooper: Information is not collected for the Houghton and Washington East constituency. The following relates to Sunderland city council.
	An estimated 30 per cent. of the housing stock formerly owned by Sunderland city council was sold through the Right to Buy scheme between the introduction of the scheme in 1980 and the Large Scale Voluntary Transfer of the stock to Sunderland Housing Group in 200001.
	Separate information on the number of flats sold through the Right to Buy scheme is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Right to Buy (Kent)

Adam Holloway: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many right-to-buy completions there were in (a) Gravesham and (b) Kent in each year since 199697.

Yvette Cooper: The number of Right to Buy sales in Gravesham and Kent can be found on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at:
	http://www.odpm.gov.uk/embedded_object.asp?id:=1156373

Right to Buy (Lincolnshire)

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council homes in (a) North East Lincolnshire and (b) North Lincolnshire were sold under the right-to-buy scheme in each year since its introduction; and what the average sale price was in each of those years.

Yvette Cooper: The number of council homes sold under the Right to Buy scheme and the average sale price per dwelling, as reported by North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire for each available financial year is tabulated as follows.
	Due to boundary changes it is not possible to supply data for years prior to those shown.
	
		
			  Financial year Number of Right to Buy sales Average price net of discount () 
		
		
			 North East Lincolnshire UA 
			 199697 48 15,813 
			 199798 79 16,114 
			 199899 72 16,014 
			 19992000 90 16,189 
			 200001 91 16,231 
			 200102 86 15,291 
			 200203 170 16,965 
			 200304 289 20,931 
			 200405 n/a n/a 
			
			 North Lincolnshire UA 
			 199697 n/a n/a 
			 199798 n/a n/a 
			 199899 143 16,077 
			 19992000 150 16,313 
			 200001 188 16,723 
			 200102 186 17,247 
			 200203 268 18,403 
			 200304 263 25,293 
			 200405 171 36,953 
		
	
	n/a=not available
	Source:
	P1AB returns from local authority to ODPM

Vacant Domestic Properties

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many vacant domestic properties there were in (a) England and (b) Tamworth constituency in each of the last five years, broken down by tenure.

Yvette Cooper: The following table contains the total number of vacant dwellings in England and in Tamworth, broken down by tenure for 2000 to 2004. This provides the latest available data:
	
		
			  These figures include dwellings which have been empty for fewer than six months,  some of which for less than 1 month 
			  Local authority Registered social landlords Other public sector Private sector(29) (non-RSL) Total(28) 
		
		
			 Count date 1 April 31 March 1 April (29) April/November 
			 England  
			 2000 87,200 37,500 12,600 623,200 760,500 
			 2001 80,300 39,300 10,900 622,600 753,100 
			 2002 78,100 39,700 9,000 631,200 758,100 
			 2003 62,600 44,900 9,100 633,300 750,000 
			 2004 57,500 43,300 7,400 608,600 716,800 
			 Tamworth  
			 2000 37 11 0 522 570 
			 2001 48 11 0 561 620 
			 2002 41 16 0 423 480 
			 2003 50 7 0 455 512 
			 2004 453 17 0 29 499 
		
	
	(28) For the total tenure dwellings, Council Tax Base 1 Supplement CTB1(S) return is used. It is regarded as the most reliable source but it does not have the tenure breakdown. It has been collected from 2000 but is considered to be only reliable from 2002 onwards. Hence HSSA is used for 2000 and 2001 figures. CTB1(S) data are for a specified date in November, which is different from both the HSSA (1 April) and RSR (31 March). The total figure may not equal to the sum of individual tenures' figures if different sources were used or rounding has been applied. CTB1(S) data for 2005 are not yet available.
	(29) For the private sector tenure figures, before 2002, 1 April figures from HSSA are used. For the years 2002 through to 2004, to obtain the number of private sector (non RSLs) vacant dwellings LA, RSL and Other public sector figures were subtracted from the total vacant dwellings figure from the council tax data. This residual method is considered to be better than the less reliable private sector figure supplied in the HSSA return. (In order to adopt the residual method, CTBl's November figure has been taken to represent the data at 1 April. This assumes that the effect caused by these different snap-shot dates is insignificant. This is considered reasonable as properties become vacant and re-occupied and vice versa all the time i.e. there is a balancing effect. Hence over such a small period of time there should be minimal difference in the overall numbers between the two dates. The minute difference between 1 April and 31 March (from RSR) can also simply be ignored.)
	From April local authorities will have new powers to bring empty properties back into use.
	Sources:
	Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) return for LA and 'Other' public sector tenures
	Regulatory Statistical Return (RSR) for RSL tenure
	Council Tax Base 1 (CTB1) return for the total tenure figures (see footnote 1)

Vacant Domestic Properties

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many vacant domestic properties there were in (a) England and (b) Houghton and Washington East constituency in each of the last five years, broken down by tenure.

Yvette Cooper: Figures on vacant dwellings at constituency level are not held centrally, but the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does hold relevant local authority level figures.
	The following table contains the total number of vacant dwellings in England and in Sunderland, broken down by tenure for 2000 to 2004. This provides the latest available data:
	
		
			  Local authority Registered social landlords Other public sector Private sector(30) (non-RSL) Total(31) 
		
		
			 Count date 1 April 31 March 1 April (30) April/November 
			 England  
			 2000 87,200 37,500 12,600 623,200 760,500 
			 2001 80,300 39,300 10,900 622,600 753,100 
			 2002 78,100 39,700 9,000 631,200 758,100 
			 2003 62,600 44,900 9,100 633,300 750,000 
			 2004 57,500 43,300 7,400 608,600 716,800 
			 Sunderland  
			 2000 1,102 116 0 2,562 3,780 
			 2001 0 (32)1,009 0 3,925 4,934 
			 2002 0 995 0 2,633 3,628 
			 2003 0 1,198 0 2,942 4,140 
			 2004 0 1,432 0 2,682 4,114 
		
	
	(30) For the private sector tenure figures, before 2002, 1 April figures from HSSA are used. For the years 2002 through to 2004, to obtain the number of private sector (non-RSLs) vacant dwellings LA, RSL and Other public sector figures were subtracted from the total vacant dwellings figure from the council tax data. This residual method is considered to be better than the less reliable private sector figure supplied in the HSSA return. (In order to adopt the residual method, CTBl's November figure has been taken to represent the data at 1 April. This assumes that the effect caused by these different snap-shot dates is insignificant. This is considered reasonable as properties become vacant and re-occupied and vice versa all the time i.e. there is a balancing effect. Hence over such a small period of time there should be minimal difference in the overall numbers between the two dates. The minute difference between 1 April and 31 March (from RSR) can also simply be ignored.)
	(31) For the total tenure dwellings, Council Tax Base 1 Supplement CTB1(S)) return is used. It is regarded as the most reliable source but it does not have the tenure breakdown. It has been collected from 2000 but is considered to be reliable only from 2002 onwards. Hence HSSA is used for 2000 and 2001 figures. CTB1(S) data are for a specified date in November, which is different from both the HSSA (1 April) and RSR (31 March). The total figure may not equal to the sum of individual tenures' figures if different sources were used or rounding has been applied. CTB1(S) data for 2005 are not yet available.
	(32) This figure is based on HSSA return because the reported RSR value missed out the transferred stock from LA to RSL.
	Notes:
	1. These figures include dwellings which have been empty for fewer than six months, some of which for less than one month.
	2. Figures as at 1 April unless otherwise stated.
	Sources:
	Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) return for LA and Other public sector tenures.
	Regulatory Statistical Return (RSR) for RSL tenure.
	Council Tax Base 1 (CTB1) return for the total tenure figures (see footnote 2).
	From April, local authorities will have new powers to bring empty properties back into use.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many residential properties the Valuation Office Agency has inspected in each year since 1997 to determine whether the property is used in whole or part for business purposes.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what geographical information system (a) products, (b) data and (c) software the Valuation Office Agency has obtained in the last five years; and if he will list the suppliers.

Phil Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency does not have a Geographic Information System. The Valuation Office Agency does use digital mapping systems (Master Map and Land Line) provided by Ordnance Survey.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Valuation Office Agency will have access to (a) the National Register of Social Housing and (b) information held in home information packs in carrying out its work.

Phil Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency has had access to data held in the National Register of Social Housing.
	No decisions have yet been taken on which, if any, organisations should be given access to the information held in home information packs. The Government intend to consider the views of stakeholders before deciding whether third parties, including other Government Departments and agencies, should have access to this information.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to Council Tax Information Letter 12005, if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter from the Valuation Office Agency sent to local authorities in relation to the sharing of planning information.

Phil Woolas: The letter referred to was a draft sent by the Valuation Office Agency's Chief Executive's Office to listing officers around the country for their use where appropriate, seeking cooperation in ensuring property attribute data was kept up to date. Whether or not this was sent to local authorities in their area was a decision taken by individual listing officers. A copy of the draft has been made available in the Library of the House.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what types of data the Valuation Office Agency (a) supplies, (b) makes available and (c) sells to the public.

Phil Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency is statutorily required to publish the valuation lists for council tax and the rating lists for non-domestic rating. The lists are made available in a variety of formats including the Agency's website at: www.voa.gov.uk and no charge are made for these.
	Alternative formats are availablefor which a charge is madefor compilations of the published entries in the non-domestic rating lists for England and Wales and the summary valuations supporting the valuations in those lists. No equivalent is available for the council tax lists.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the level of poppy cultivation was in Afghanistan in 2005; and what the latest estimate is for 2006.

Kim Howells: The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) confirmed the poppy cultivation figures for 200405 from their annual survey in November 2005, UNODC reported a 21 per cent. reduction in poppy cultivation from 131,000 hectares (ha) in 200304 (4,200 metric tonnes) to 104,000 hectares in 200405 (4,100 metric tonnes). Although cultivation decreased significantly, the rise in yield in 200405 was due to good weather and an absence of crop disease. These overall percentages, however, mask significant variations between provinces. For example, Nangarhar (-96 per cent.), Badakshan (-53 per cent.) and Helmand (-10 per cent.) saw the most significant decreases. But other provinces, such as Balkh and Farah, saw increases. The US Office of National Drug Control policy also publicly released its cultivation figures in November, which match those of UNODC
	It seems likely that cultivation may increase again this yearinitial reports suggest that farmers in some provinces are threatening to return to cultivation. Our goal is to ensure that the downward trend in cultivation is maintained in the long-term. We are working hard with the Government of Afghanistan (GoA) and other international partners to ensure the GoA is able to deliver on this goal. An early indication of this year's figures will be reflected in the UNODC's Rapid Assessment Survey, which will be published in the next few weeks.

Consular Procedures

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what the standard procedure followed by his Department's consular staff is in dealing with deaths of British nationals abroad;
	(2)  whether a date has been set for the introduction of a system of collecting detailed information on deaths of British nationals abroad;
	(3)  what steps are taken when consular guidelines for dealing with British nationals in difficulty abroad are not followed;
	(4)  what procedures are followed by consular staff when a British national is murdered abroad.

Kim Howells: Consular staff deal with some 4,000 deaths of British nationals overseas each year. Not all such deaths abroad are reported to the local British mission. But when a death is reported, and their next of kin (NoK) is not present, we will ask the UK police to inform them. If they are not in the UK, we will ask our consular staff in the country where they are to perform this duty. In exceptional circumstances, we may inform the NoK by telephone. Following initial notification, consular staff in London will normally write to the NoK in the UK with further information on how deaths are dealt with in the country concerned and providing a point of contact in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London.
	Consular staff in London can pass on to our staff overseas the NoK's wishes about dealing with the body. They will do their best to ensure that these are carried out. Responsibility for the treatment of bodies, including storage, post mortems and removal of organs, remains with the local authorities and practices may differ from the UK. Where this is the case, consular staff will inform the NoK.
	Consular staff can advise on the cost of local burial or cremation, including providing a list of local funeral directors, or the transport of the body and personal property back to the UK. They can help transfer money from friends and relatives in the UK to pay any necessary costs. They cannot pay any burial, cremation or repatriation expenses or settle any debts.
	Where there is evidence of suspicious circumstances, consular staff can suggest to the NoK the best way to raise concerns with the local authorities. However, they cannot investigate deaths themselves. Consular staff will monitor the progress of investigations and, where applicable, any resulting court case. Consular staff can provide a list of lawyers if the NoK wish to appoint one to look after their interests in court.
	Consular staff in London are available to meet family representatives, and will maintain contact and inform them if they are told of any new developments by the investigating authorities.
	From April 2006, a new consular database called Compass will be able to provide statistics of serious assistance casework. It breaks down causes of death into the following categories: accidental, execution, murder, natural and suicide.
	Consular staff aim to follow the guidelines at all times within the constraints of local conditions. Where the guidelines have not been followed, without a good operational reason, and problems arise as a result, consular staff will aim to resolve them as quickly and effectively as possible. Consular Directorate takes all complaints very seriously and seeks feedback to ensure consular services are the best they can be.

Cuba

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the treatment of (a) dissidents and (b) pro-democracy campaigners in Cuba.

Douglas Alexander: We regularly express our concern to the Cuban authorities about the treatment of dissidents and pro-democracy campaigners in Cuba. My noble Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister responsible for the Caribbean, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, raised this with the Cuban ambassador at the All Party Parliamentary Group Cuba meeting on 8 November 2005. During our EU presidency, we issued a number of statements expressing our concern at the Cuban authorities' harsh treatment of the opposition.
	According to the main non-official Cuban human rights organisation, there are currently 333 political prisoners in Cuba. We consider the imprisonment of such figures to be a violation of articles 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which guarantee the right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. We carefully monitor the situation of a number of political prisoners and the UK, along with EU partners, continues to urge the Cuban Government to release all political prisoners.
	We are also increasingly concerned by a trend towards organised public attacks on the opposition and on the families of political prisoners. We continue to monitor this situation closely.

Cuba

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the prospects for the restoration of democracy in Cuba.

Douglas Alexander: UK and EU policy is to encourage a process of peaceful transition to pluralist democracy in Cuba as well as respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. As part of this policy we maintain a dialogue with pro-democracy campaigners in Cuba, as well as with members of the current regime.
	In December we invited Oswaldo Pay, a leading civil society figure, to speak at the EU-non-governmental organisations forum on 'Freedom of Expression'. He is the author of a citizens' petition calling for greater fundamental freedoms and the holding of free and fair democratic elections in Cuba. Unfortunately, the Cuban Government refused to grant him permission to travel to the UK. The fact that over 25,000 people have already signed the citizens' petition, despite considerable state intimidation and lack of access to media, suggests that popular support for the restoration of democracy in Cuba is considerable.

European Union (Classified Documentation)

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the procedure for vetting personnel employed by the European Union with access to classified documentation released from the UK.

Douglas Alexander: Candidates for European Union positions are required to complete a standard vetting form that is submitted to the competent agency of the applicant's member state. That agency then carries out the vetting process. The relevant EU institution is then informed of the outcome of the vetting.
	Responsibility for vetting UK nationals for positions within the European Union institutions rests with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Identity Fraud

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what training his Department has provided for (a) front desk and (b) administrative staff in relation to identity fraud.

Kim Howells: Entry Clearance Officers (ECOs) who work on the front desk undertake a three-week induction course, which includes a half-day at the National Documentation Forgery Unit for an overview of forgery detection techniques. ECOs who have previously worked for the Home Office as Immigration Officers (IOs) attend a shorter course, as they already have a basic forgery detection background. Once ECOs arrive at the overseas Visa Section, further forgery and fraud detection training is conducted on an ad hoc basis, either by an Airline Liaison Officer, a local visa forgery specialist or by a Risk Assessment Unit as applicable. Administrative staff provide support such as undertaking employment, bank and documentation checks. Some checks may require local language skills, which many of our administrative staff are able to offer. They do not, however, have any decision-making powers though they do, nevertheless, receive local training as appropriate.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff who work in consular sections abroad also deal with identity documentation. Those who have responsibility for issuing passports overseas are required to undertake a consular course, which includes a specific session, within the passport and nationality section, on detecting fraud. In posts where we are aware that applicants may try to obtain passports fraudulently, ad hoc, in-house, 'knowledge-sharing' sessions take place, which may also involve UKvisas and assistance from the local authorities.

Israel

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2005, Official Report, columns 248586W, on Israel, 
	(1)  why he has no plans to raise the Government's concern about the damage caused by Israeli Defence Force low-flying aircraft in the Occupied Territories with the United Nations; and what the outcome was when the ambassador in Tel Aviv raised this issue with the Israeli Defence Force Chief of General Staff on 8 December 2003;
	(2)  why he does not plan to raise with the UN his concerns regarding the damage caused by Israeli low-flying aircraft in Gaza.

Kim Howells: Our voting record at the United Nations will continue to reflect our concerns about the damage caused by low-flying aircraft over Gaza. The United Nations are fully aware of our concerns relating to this issue. The British ambassador to the United Nations, Sir Emyr Jones-Parry, will raise this at his next monthly statement at the United Nations Security Council open consultations.
	During the ambassador's meeting with the Israel Defence Force Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Halutz, on 8 December 2005, they discussed low-flying aircraft over Gaza. The ambassador expressed our concerns over these actions. Lt. Gen. Halutz said that these actions would continue to take place but that they had taken into consideration the effect that the low-flying aircraft is having on the Palestinian population.

Syria

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he was first informed of the information disclosed by Mr. Paul Bremer that President Assad of Syria encouraged Grand Ayatollah Ail al-Sistani to wage war on United States and United Kingdom forces; and what action he took.

Kim Howells: It is the policy of the Government not to comment on the origin of information of this kind.

Uzbekistan

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the British ambassador to Tashkent on (a) human rights and (b) the treatment of political prisoners in Uzbekistan.

Douglas Alexander: The British ambassador to Tashkent visited the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in December for meetings with officials on the political situation in Uzbekistan. In addition, an FCO official visited the country in December, including Andizhan.
	Throughout 2005, the embassy has provided regular reports on human rights issues, including Andizhan-related trials, the detention of opposition figures and restrictions on non-governmental organisations. We continue to be concerned about Uzbekistan's human rights record and, together with the EU presidency and our other partners, have raised these concerns with the Uzbek authorities.